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As Israel prepares its response in the Gaza Strip following recent Hamas attacks, the tunnels dug by the Palestinian organization could complicate the Israeli military enterprise and make Hamas’ defense unpredictable.
Known via Hamas or Islamic Jihad propaganda videos, the tunnels between Israel and the Gaza Strip allow Palestinian fighters to hide and hold command meetings. Dozens of kilometers have been dug over several years. “They put all the money that arrived in Gaza in these tunnels, that of international aid, that of taxes“, explains Harel Shorel, specialist in Palestinian issues at Tel Aviv University (Israel).
“A complicating factor” for the IDF
In 2021, during its last incursion into Gaza, the Israeli army destroyed around thirty tunnels. This time, the IDF intends to eliminate Hamas fighters. “These tunnels are a complicating factor for the Israeli army, since they allow Hamas fighters to circulate without being seen, and therefore to sometimes appear inside an Israeli army device, in their back, for example”specifies Matthieu Mabin, journalist specializing in military issues at France 24.