A network of tunnels built by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip could pose serious challenges to the Israeli army in the event of a ground invasion, some news agencies have reported, citing military experts.

Some estimates also indicate that Hamas’ tunnel network is the largest in the world after the network of underground facilities built by North Korea.

In this regard, “Maariv” newspaper published an article entitled “Underground hell, a huge challenge for Israel’s army. The number of tunnels in Gaza”.

“The scale of the challenge with underground mines in Gaza is unique,” says John Spencer, head of civil war studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Military Academy at West Point.

In an article published a few days ago, Spencer, a former US military officer, said the vast and complex network of tunnels was an insurmountable dilemma and created an ambush risk for Israeli ground forces.

Assessments

Some estimates indicate that the Gaza tunnel network consists of 1,300 tunnels with a length of about 500 kilometers, some of which are as deep as 70 meters below the earth’s surface.

According to some reports, most of these tunnels are only two meters high, while most of them are two meters wide.

Some experts believe the tunnels captured in Hamas’ October 7 offensive against the Israeli occupation could be used to store weapons, food, water and fuel.

Researchers who have conducted previous studies of the Hamas tunnel network believe that some of the movement’s leaders take refuge inside those tunnels.

Problems and multi-pronged

Experts also say that the tunnels will increase the complexity of the war situation if an Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip takes place, as Spencer believes would allow fighters of the Spencer Movement to move safely and freely between various battle sites.

Mike Martin, a war expert at King’s College London, says: “In short, these mines strike a balance because they neutralize Israel’s weapons, tactical, technical and organizational advantages, and they neutralize the risk of an inability to distinguish between military and civilian targets that require inspection in accordance with international law.”

He added, “Therefore, the Israeli army faces problems with everything related to military operations inside civilian areas, which can be described as three-dimensional warfare.”

Mike explains what he means by “three-dimensional warfare,” saying, “There will be parties shooting from the top of residential towers, and there will be parties shooting from underground.”

He believes that demolishing buildings is not a solution because demolished buildings will become barricades used by resistance fighters to attack the occupying army.

He believed that fighting in cities was the most difficult form of combat any army could face.

The objective was to break the siege

Reports indicate that the tunnels in Gaza were initially designed to transport goods between Egypt and the besieged territory, but over time, due to increased Israeli aerial surveillance by drones and advanced electronic surveillance equipment, Hamas began to expand this tunnel network. .

But the Israeli army did not discover its danger and complications after the military operation started in Gaza in 2014.

Since that time, Israel has begun building underground border barriers along the border with the Gaza Strip to prevent infiltration through tunnels into Israeli towns and cities.

Experts say that tunnels are difficult to find because they are built under different buildings, but there are various ways to detect them using radar and other modern technologies.