IDF Prepares Seawater Assault as US Waffles on Support for IDF’s Strategy to Liquidate Terrorists

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is reportedly setting in up to obliterate the terror group’s tunnel network beneath the Gaza Strip. The Wall Street Journal revealed lans involving the deployment of massive water pumps to flood these subterranean hideouts with seawater, potentially forcing Hamas fighters to the surface. Late reports say the pumping process has begun.

Situated near Gaza City’s al-Shati refugee camp, five pumps, installed last month, can inundate tunnels swiftly, expelling thousands of cubic meters of water per hour. The IDF communicated this tactic to the US but has held off on execution, possibly awaiting the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the recent surge of violence in southern Israel on October 7.

Mixed reactions emanate from the Biden administration. While some US officials voice apprehensions about the potential environmental impacts, such as damage to Gaza’s aquifer and structural foundations from seawater infiltration, others firmly support Israel’s right to dismantle these terror conduits. The uncertainty of the tunnel layout and the unpredictability of seawater behavior in this unprecedented context add to the complexity of the situation.

This strategy is not novel in the region. In 2015, the Egyptian military adopted a similar approach, flooding smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip’s southern border.