“The danger does not end with its discovery.” How does the labyrinth of tunnels under the Gaza Strip work?

After Israel began the war in Gaza, much attention has focused on Hamas’ tunnel network in the besieged Strip and how it poses a challenge to the ground forces there. As the Israeli army forces its way into the city, a New York Times report indicates that “the greatest danger may be lurking beneath our feet.”

Hamas fighters, who launched a bloody attack on Israel last month, have built a labyrinth of hidden tunnels, which some say extend across much, if not all, of the Gaza Strip.

The network has long been described as “the Gaza subway,” and other Western accounts have called it “the spider’s maze.” The American newspaper’s report, accompanied by analyzes and photos, explains that “it’s not just about tunnels”.

So far it is not known whether the Israeli forces that entered Gaza City will continue their advance towards other areas, both in the north and south of the Strip.

While the Israeli army has faced resistance in recent days with homemade ammunition and launchers fired by Hamas militants at its tanks and armored vehicles, it was unclear whether the tunnels had played a role, whether underground or above.

“Bigger than tunnels”

The Gaza Strip suffers from “horrific pitfalls” that Israeli soldiers know and expect to be dangerous in urban warfare, such as massive ambushes, blocked visibility and, above all, “explosive-laden tunnels” at entrances.

The New York Times report indicates that tunnels dug under the Gaza Strip are “passageways under dense residential areas” that allow fighters to move freely, away “from the eyes of the enemy.”

Researchers believe it also contains bunkers to store weapons, food and water, and even command centers and networks large enough to allow vehicles to pass through.

“Ordinary-looking doors and gates serve as disguised entry points, allowing Hamas fighters to depart on missions and then return out of sight,” explains the New York Times, referring to the tunnel openings, which the Israeli army has several times announced targeting.

No outsider has an accurate map of the network used by the movement, while few Israelis have seen it directly.

However, photos, videos and reports from people who have been in the tunnels indicate the general outline of the system and how to use it.

The original material published by the American newspaper includes photos taken by journalists inside the corridors, reports from researchers studying the tunnels and details of the network that emerged from Israeli forces when they invaded Gaza in 2014.

“two sections”

The report and analysis published by the New York Times shed light on Hamas tunnels and explain that they are divided into two types: the first are “tactical” or similar to reinforced concrete structures, considered more than simple transit tubes.

The newspaper explains that the type mentioned above “serves as shelter against attacks, planning rooms, ammunition depots and hostage spaces.”

Israel has long declared that the destruction of the tunnels is one of its most important objectives in Gaza, along with another related to the dismantling and elimination of Hamas, following the surprise attack launched on October 7.

The Israeli military had used the presence of the “tunnels” as justification for bombing civilian areas of Gaza, including a major Israeli airstrike that hit a densely populated area in the Jabalia neighborhood.

But Hamas has denied the existence of its tunnels under some of the specific sites hit by Israel, and it is often impossible to verify Israel’s claims, according to the newspaper.

“Spiderweb”

To destroy the tunnels on the ground, Israeli forces in Gaza will have to find entrances that are often hidden in the basements of civilian buildings and lead to tunnels lined with concrete, photos published by the New York Times indicate.

Experts said they are usually six and a half feet long and three feet wide, forcing fighters to move through them in single file.

The American newspaper article talks about the story of an 85-year-old Israeli woman, held hostage in the tunnels for 17 days, who after her release explained that she had walked through a “web” of wet tunnels.

He added that he eventually reached a large room in which there were more than 20 hostages.

There are still believed to be more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, many of whom are likely in the same tunnels that Israel plans to destroy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that bringing them home is one of the invasion’s two main goals, the other being to “destroy Hamas.”

“Smuggling Tunnel”

Meanwhile, the New York Times report claims that the second section of Hamas tunnels is linked to “smuggling” operations.

After the movement came to power in 2007, as Israel tightened its siege of the Strip, a vast network of smuggling tunnels developed beneath the Gaza-Egypt border.

These tunnels are used to bypass the blockade and allow the import of a wide range of goods, from weapons and electronic equipment to construction materials and fuel.

Egyptian authorities have made considerable efforts to destroy these smuggling routes, including pumping seawater to flood the network, and many tunnels have collapsed, but some smuggling tunnels are believed to still be in operation, the newspaper notes.

These tunnels have been documented in the Rafah area, where they are used to bring all kinds of goods and products from Egypt to Gaza.

Does the danger end with its discovery?

Although the Israeli army is far superior to Hamas in terms of size and equipment, fighting the enemy with its network of tunnels is a high-risk mission.

John W. Spencer, who studies urban warfare at the United States Military Academy’s Modern War Institute, describes it as “more like combat under the sea than on the surface or inside a building.”

“Nothing you use on the surface works,” he recently told the Modern Warfare Project. “You have to have specialized equipment to breathe, see, move, communicate and use means of combat, especially shooting.”

Experts say one of the main dangers when entering the tunnels is that Hamas has booby-trapped the entrances.

“The moment they realize the Israelis have entered the tunnels, they will press the button and the whole thing could come crashing down on the Israelis,” said Aaron Bregman, a senior lecturer at King’s College London who specializes in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Perhaps Israeli forces will not be able to destroy the entire tunnel network, as Bregman believes it is “very large and there is no advantage in dismantling it all.”

They will instead focus on closing the tunnel entrances, most likely launching airstrikes or having engineers destroy them with explosives.

The Israeli army is also unlikely to fight its battle clandestinely unless it feels it has no other choice.

Bregman adds: “Entering the tunnels would deprive Israeli forces of the advantages they enjoy.” And he continues: “The moment you go down the tunnel, you’re one on one.”