Israel’s military has begun pumping seawater into Hamas’s vast complex of underground tunnels in Gaza, said a report. However, the process is still in an early stage and is being evaluated.
A report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said the method is one of a few others weighed to tackle the tunnels, including airstrikes, use of liquid explosives, and dispatching dogs, drones and robots into the tunnel. The WSJ was the first to report that Israel was considering the tunnel-flooding plan. It said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had set up five large water pumps near the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City that can flood the tunnels within weeks by pumping thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into them.
Though IDF chief Herzi Halevi said flooding the tunnels was "a good idea", the military has so far refused to comment on details of its operations.
US President Joe Biden was asked Tuesday about the report but declined to directly answer. "With regard to the flooding of the tunnels… There (are) assertions being made that there [are] no hostages in any of these tunnels, but I don’t know that for a fact," Biden said. "I do know that, though, every civilian death is an absolute tragedy, and Israel has stated its intent to match its words with actions," he added.
The plan, however, was fraught with danger as environmental experts warned the defence establishment to carefully weigh the long-term environmental implications of the plan. There could be potential damage to Gaza’s aquifer and soil if seawater and hazardous substances in the tunnels seep into them, as well as the possible impact on the foundations of buildings.
The WSJ report also mentioned how opinions among the Biden administration officials on the flooding tactic were mixed, with some officials expressing concern while others said they backed Israel’s efforts to destroy the tunnels.
This isn't the first time that Gaza's tunnels are being flooded. Earlier, the Egyptian army had begun to pump water from the Mediterranean Sea into underground smuggling tunnels connecting Sinai with the besieged Gaza Strip. This was done to end smuggling into the Palestinian territory, security officials told the DPA news agency.
Gazans at that time had complained that Egypt's flooding had damaged the network with the seawater polluting underground drinking reserves. The water also spilt over to the streets, flooding the residential areas and causing a huge environmental mess.
During the late 2000s, the tunnel industry was so vibrant that an estimated 22,000 Palestinians worked in it, transporting everything from Hummer vehicles and washing machines to cows and sheep. Hamas had then imposed a tax on shipments.