Hamas built its entire war plan around the tunnels. It has spent the last 15 years and over a billion dollars building them.
There were more tunnels than there were streets. The tunnels were satanically built under every part of its civilian population, under schools, under hospitals, UN buildings, UN headquarters, and basically under every home in gaza. It is believed there are over 600 miles of tunnels under an area that is only about 25 miles long by 6 miles wide.
Some tunnels were deeper than the biggest bunker busting bomb could reach. In an unprecedented way, Israel found a way to use Hamas’ tunnels against them. Israel is also evolving in how to fill the tunnels. It is vitally important that these tunnels be made unusable into the future. Just bombing them does not do it. Rubble can be dug out just as easily as the original dirt. Filling them with sea water did not work. Israel has found a way, and is looking into other ways as well, to permanently end the tunnel strategy.
Find out more about these tunnels, how Israel used them against Hamas, how they are filling them, and much more in this very interesting interview on the Tikvah Podcast. Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver speaks with John Spencer, an expert on urban warfare. Mr. Spencer is the chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point.
