Israeli troops are plotting to flood Hamas’s tunnel network with seawater in a bid to flush out terrorists.
At least five huge pumps have been set up close to the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza as Israel looks to take down the terror group following the horror October 7 massacre.
The pumps are capable of flooding the vast underground maze within weeks by pouring in thousands of cubic metres of water per hour from the Mediterranean Sea, reports The Wall Street Journal.
It would also drive out or drown Hamas terrorists using the tunnels as a hideout as Israeli forces push ahead with their ground assault.
US officials said Israel alerted American authorities about its plan last month – but a decision has not been made on whether to go ahead yet.
It is not clear whether the IDF would consider using the pumps before all the hostages are released.
Hamas has previously said it has hidden captives in “safe places and tunnels”.
The terror group claims the sprawling underground labyrinth stretches some 500km (310 miles).
Hidden up to 100ft below the surface, the entrances are enclosed under the floors of homes, mosques and schools – allowing fighters to move unseen between homes and alleyways within Gaza.
It is used by the warped group to transport people and goods as well as store rocks and ammunition.
The tunnels are understood to be connected to launch pits where rockets have been fired from towards Israeli areas.
Hamas’ command and control centres are also housed in the intricate system away from Israel’s watch.
And it’s understood the entire network is heavily laden with booby traps and homemade bombs.
Each tunnel is reinforced with concrete and some are so narrow fighters are unable to stand up in them.
Others, however, are much more spacious – allowing terrorists to run through them and transport weapons and contraband.
They are extremely difficult to detect from the air and have long frustrated Israel’s military as despite being armed with top-of-the-range equipment, they have so far been unable to wipe them out.
A US official said it made sense for Israel to render the tunnels inoperable and that the country was exploring a range of ways to do that.
The IDF has not commented on the flooding plan, but an official told the WSJ: “The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamass terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools.”
