Fighting in tunnels is incredibly difficult, Luttwak said, noting that it requires special skills and that standard tactics and weapons are often not suitable in underground environments. Because the tunnels are so important to Hamas’s operations, dismantling the network is equally important to Israel’s stated goal of completely eradicating Hamas, Richemond-Barak said. The precarious location of the tunnels beneath Gaza’s busy streets – as well as the captivity of hostages in the tunnels – has presented the Israeli military with a number of difficult decisions, Richemond-Barak added. The only way to destroy the network is through airstrikes, she said, but the tunnels lie beneath densely populated civilian areas. Israel urged Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate south amid airstrikes and ahead of a planned ground invasion.

Source: Washington Post October 26, 2023 14:50 UTC