IDF troops have been seen preparing pipes on Gazan beaches (Picture: Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli forces preparing to flood the tunnels under Gaza reportedly used by Hamas with sea water.
New pictures have emerged of IDF troops installing at least five pumps about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp, which could pump thousands of cubic metres of water per hour into the tunnels.
Israel hopes flooding the tunnels will drive Hamas out of the tunnels and make the terrorist group unable to operate.
Pictures released by the IDF appear to show scores of soldiers setting up black pipes on Gaza’s beaches, leading to the Mediterranean Sea.
US officials revealed on Monday that Israel has assembled a system of large pumps it could use to flood Hamas’s vast network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with sea water.
The tactic would enable Israel to destroy the tunnels and kill any Hamas terrorists hiding within them, the officials told the Wall Street Journal.
It was not clear whether Israel would consider using the pumps before all the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas terrorists on October 7, as flooding the tunnels could kill anyone inside – as well as potentially damage underground infrastructure.
Hamas has previously said it has hidden the hostages in ‘safe places and tunnels’.
But footage shared by Israeli media appeared to show Israeli soldiers filling up pipes and working on pumps underground.
And IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi appeared to confirm the report that Israel aims to flood Hamas’s tunnel network, calling it a ‘good idea’.
He said: ‘We are seeing a lot of underground infrastructure in Gaza, we knew there would be a lot. Part of the goal is to destroy this infrastructure.
‘We have various ways [to deal with the tunnels], I won’t talk about specifics, but they include explosives to destroy, and other means to prevent Hamas operatives from using the tunnels to harm our soldiers.
‘Therefore, any means which give us an advantage over the enemy that [uses the tunnels], deprives it of this asset, is a means that we are evaluating using. This is a good idea, but I won’t comment on its specifics.’
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