ALBAWABA - A number of Hamas papers discovered by the New York Times and taken by Israeli troops in Gaza provide insight into the organization's tactics for subterranean warfare. These papers show that tunnel warfare is part of Hamas's long-term strategy against Israel.
The "2019 Hamas Guide for Underground Combat," a crucial document, provides specific strategies for negotiating Gaza's tunnels. It offers guidelines for moving inconspicuously, fighting in cramped areas, and quickly traveling between subterranean locations. This manual is a component of Hamas's larger endeavor, begun far in advance of the present war, to build a robust underground military force.
Leader of Hamas Yahya Sinwar authorized a $225,000 budget a year ago for the installation of blast-resistant doors in the tunnel network, presumably in anticipation of future conflicts. This action was taken as part of a plan to defend important tunnel sections against ground and aerial attacks. These papers provide light on Israel's difficulties in taking down Hamas's infrastructure.
Finding and demolishing tunnels that may be used for attacks has long been a top priority for Israeli authorities. However, Israel's military efforts encountered problems due to an underestimating of the true scope of Hamas's tunnel network. Experts now agree that Hamas's tunnel system has been essential to the organization's ability to continue resisting Israeli soldiers.
The book explains how to go rapidly through the tunnels, use a GPS or compasses for navigation, and conceal tunnel openings. It also highlights the need of using automatic weapons—which are especially useful in the cramped areas beneath—and night vision goggles with infrared capabilities.
By ambushing Israeli forces close to tunnel exits, Hamas has managed to avoid direct combat. This tactic has slowed down Israeli military advances by enabling Hamas to launch strikes before withdrawing inside the tunnels. Israel's operations have been made more difficult by the employment of remote-controlled explosives and covert cameras.
The papers also emphasize how crucial a role Hamas's tunnel network—which connects armament manufacturing to storage facilities—plays in command and control. Certain tunnels function as communication centers; Israeli soldiers discovered systems that point to a well developed subterranean network.
These tunnels are quite complicated and expensive to build. According to the Israeli military, the construction of a basic half-mile-long tunnel would cost around $300,000. The strategic significance of certain tunnels was highlighted in a letter sent by Sinwar to Hamas leaders, which increased the cost of defenses in crucial locations like Khan Younis and northern Gaza.
Israeli troops will find it challenging to map and destroy the network of tunnels because of the blast-resistant doors erected in these tunnels, which are intended to separate portions from one another and shield them from outside threats. Given that it may take years to dismantle the whole network, Israel faces persistent challenges as a result of this intricate system of tunnels.
These materials provide a better picture of Hamas's subterranean warfare tactics and the major challenges Israel confronts in trying to eliminate this danger as the conflict drags on.
