The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that, according to US officials, Israel has amassed an extensive network of pumps. The pumps aim to force combatants from their positions by flooding the tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas.
The report said Israel’s army installed at least five pumps about a mile north of the Al-Shati refugee camp around mid-November to flood the tunnels within weeks with thousands of cubic meters of water per hour.
The report did not specify whether Israel would contemplate utilizing the pumps prior to the release of all hostages. Hamas has stated in the past that it has concealed captives in tunnels and secure locations.
The Israeli defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official did not elaborate on the flooding plan. However, The Wall Street Journal stated that “The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas’s terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools.”
