From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 28, 2024
80% of Hamas’s Gaza tunnel system could still be intact — report
The Wall Street Journal reports that after 114 days of fighting, as much as 80 percent of Hamas’s tunnel system beneath Gaza could still remain intact.
The report cites Israeli and US officials, and notes that it it difficult to assess how much of the subterranean labyrinth has been destroyed by Israeli troops so far.
Since launching a ground offensive in the wake of the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, Israeli forces have worked to destroy the tunnels, uncovering more and more of the Gaza-ruling terror organization’s underground network.
Some of the tunnels have been bombed, while others have been flooded. However, progress is slow as underground passages must be mapped and checked for booby traps and hostages before Israeli forces can destroy them.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other terror commanders are believed to be hiding underground. The Journal cites Israeli officials who said that the Gaza terror chief is believed to be in a command center in a tunnel under Khan Younis, along with some of the hostages.
Earlier this month it was reported that senior Israeli defense officials now assess that Hamas’s Gaza tunnel network is between 350 and 450 miles long, far longer than previously believed.
The estimate reported by The New York Times is markedly higher than an Israel Defense Forces’ assessment last month that there are some 250 miles of Hamas tunnels under the Gaza Strip, and an astounding figure given the enclave is only some 140 square miles in total size.
