The Israeli army trained on it. What are the “sponge bombs” designated for tunnel warfare?

As Israel ramps up preparations to launch a comprehensive ground attack on the Gaza Strip, there is talk of the Israeli military’s intention to use a new secret weapon called a “sponge bomb” for the first time to tackle the complex network. of underground tunnels built by Hamas.

Hamas tunnels extend hundreds of kilometers beneath Gaza and reach a depth of 80 meters and resemble a “spider’s web”, as described by a recently freed Israeli hostage.

Although Israel has spent large sums of money on tunnel detection methods, including a sensor-equipped underground barrier dubbed the “Iron Wall,” Hamas is still believed to have tunnels connecting it to the outside world, according to Reuters.

In recent statements, former Israeli army commander Amir Avivi said: “There is an entire city under Gaza, at a depth of 40 to 50 meters. There are bunkers, headquarters, warehouses and, of course, it is connected to more than a thousand missile launch sites.”

“Gaza Metro”… How did Hamas avoid discovering the attack plan for two years?

The American network CNN revealed that intelligence information shared with the United States, prior to the Hamas attack on Israel, indicated that members of the movement had been using a network of telephone lines inside the Gaza tunnels over a period of two years in preparation for the attack. .

Therefore, Israeli forces are likely to face a bloody battle through the tunnel network known as the “Gaza Metro” when they launch their planned ground invasion.

But the “sponge bomb” could play an important role in reducing the Israeli army’s losses and preventing its soldiers from falling into Hamas ambushes as they advance towards Gaza.

What is this bomb?

According to an article published this week by the British newspaper “The Telegraph”, the Israeli army has already conducted experiments on the use of sponge bombs in recent years.

These bombs do not contain explosive materials, but only chemicals used to fill gaps or tunnel entrances from which Hamas militants can exit.

The bomb consists of a plastic container containing two chemical liquids separated by a metal barrier. When the bomb is thrown into the tunnel, this barrier is removed, as the two liquids mix with each other and form a foam that expands and quickly turns into a solid.

Former American officer John Spencer, head of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute of the West Point Military Academy in the United States, says: “Foam bombs do not destroy tunnels, but they allow forces to advance without having to expel enemy forces from each tunnel.”

The Israeli army has not yet commented on reports regarding the use of “sponge bombs”, but the Telegraph newspaper indicated that Israeli soldiers have already trained with them in 2021.

Hamas’s spider tunnels… the “biggest threat” to the Israeli army

A lengthy Associated Press report on Saturday shed light on the network of tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza, describing it as the “biggest threat” to Israeli forces as they prepare to launch a massive ground attack on the besieged Strip.

The newspaper reported that the Israeli army built a fake tunnel system at the Tzealim military base, near the Gaza border, to train in the use of this type of bomb.

Reports also indicate that Israel is using specialized teams in the Army Corps of Engineers and tunnel reconnaissance units equipped with ground and airborne sensors, ground-penetrating radar and special drilling systems, to determine the locations of the tunnels.

However, the paper shows that the material the sponge bombs are made of is so dangerous that some Israeli soldiers were blinded while training to use it.