The risky tunnel fight against Hamas by Der SPIEGEL

Israel’s military faced significant challenges in its efforts to neutralize Hamas’ extensive tunnel network in Gaza. These underground passages, which stretched hundreds of kilometers and reached depths of up to 70 meters, served as strategic hubs for smuggling, storing weapons, and holding hostages. The presence of civilians and hostages complicated operations, demanding precision and caution to avoid collateral damage and international backlash.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) relied on advanced technologies such as ground-penetrating radar, air sensors, and specialized bunker-busting bombs to locate and target tunnels. Despite these efforts, some tunnels were too deep for conventional methods. Ground operations required specialized units like the Yahalom unit, equipped to navigate the narrow, booby-trapped tunnels using tools such as night-vision devices, oxygen supplies, and robotic reconnaissance systems.
Tactics included sealing tunnel entrances with armored bulldozers, deploying foam bombs to block ambush routes, and using smoke grenades to trace tunnel paths. However, combat in such confined spaces posed significant risks, with soldiers often advancing single file and encountering ambushes. The IDF also used measures like armored shields and chemical foams to enhance troop safety.
Ethically contentious methods, such as flamethrowers or aerosol bombs, could theoretically have neutralized tunnels but risked harming hostages and civilians. Consequently, Israel frequently resorted to flooding or demolishing tunnels from above rather than entering them directly.
Hamas had strategically embedded tunnel entrances within civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and residential buildings. This made operations even more sensitive, as the IDF had to balance military objectives with the need to minimize civilian harm and maintain international support. The complexity of these operations underscored the tactical and ethical dilemmas of underground warfare.