United States officials claim that Israel has built an extensive network of pumps that might be utilized to flood Hamas tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip in an effort to force out fighters.
A mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp, Israel’s army finished installing at least five pumps around the middle of November. These pumps could flow thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, flooding the tunnels in a matter of weeks, according to the report.
It was not clear whether Israel would consider using the pumps before all hostages were released, according to the story. Hamas has previously said it has hidden captives in “safe places and tunnels.”
When asked about the story, a U.S. official said it made sense for Israel to render the tunnels inoperable and that the country was exploring a range of ways to do that.
Israel’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official declined to comment on the flooding plan but was quoted as saying: “The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas’s terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools.”
Israel first informed the United States of the option last month, the Wall Street Journal said, reporting that officials did not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was to carrying out the plan.
