ALBAWABA - According to an Israeli official who spoke with Channel 12, sustained military action would be necessary to totally destroy Hamas and alter the security environment in Gaza.
The commander emphasized that Hamas has used a vast network of subterranean tunnels to skillfully move militants and logistical supplies across Gaza. They are able to carry out well-planned surprise strikes and disappear beneath the surface because to this skill.
"Hamas has fought a well-organized defensive battle from beneath the surface using these tunnels," said the officer. "Even after nine months of conflict, we do not have a complete understanding of the tunnel network, nor have we been able to fully control it."
The officer likened Hamas' tunnel network to a web of spiders, pointing out that severing one tunnel just triggers the activation of other paths that carry out their objectives.
"We were astonished by Hamas' engineering prowess, including the use of elevators and their understanding of the soil and tunnel interconnectivity," he stated. "Focusing solely on destroying all the tunnels in Gaza will take several more years."
The commander of the 12th Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Hevri Elbaz, had earlier predicted that it would take at least two more years to destroy Hamas' military infrastructure in Rafah, which lies in the southern Gaza Strip.
Elbaz stressed that taking out Hamas' military arm, the Qassam Brigades, is a difficult undertaking that would take a lot of time and military force.
