According to US media, Israel is testing the flooding of Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Only tunnels in which no hostages are suspected would be flooded.
According to US media reports, the Israeli armed forces are testing the flooding of the Islamist Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Seawater is being pumped into some tunnels to find out whether the method is suitable for large-scale destruction of the underground system, US television channel CNN reported, citing a US official familiar with the matter.
The US newspaper “The Wall Street Journal” also reported on the test run. Israel told the US that only tunnels where no hostages were suspected would be flooded. The US National Security Council and the Israeli armed forces initially did not comment on the reports when asked by the German Press Agency.
Concern about hostage and drinking water
At a press conference on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was asked about the floods. He replied: “It is very difficult as far as the flooding of the tunnels is concerned: it is said that there are definitely no hostages in these tunnels. But I don’t know that for sure.” Then he added: “What I know for sure: every death of civilians is an absolute tragedy.”
In addition to the hostages, US officials are also concerned about the Gaza Strip’s drinking water supply, according to the Wall Street Journal. If salt water and possible toxins that may be in the tunnels seep into the groundwater, this could further worsen the already difficult drinking water supply in the Gaza Strip. The Wall Street Journal reports that after Egypt flooded smugglers’ tunnels at the Rafah border crossing with seawater in 2015, several nearby farmers complained about crop failures.
Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi recently described the idea of flooding the extensive tunnel system with seawater as a good idea. According to the Israeli military, Hamas has built an extensive tunnel system under the Gaza Strip. It is estimated to be around 500 kilometers long. However, the Israeli army assumes that many of the 135 hostages kidnapped from Israel are also being held in the tunnels.
