An Israeli security official announced today, Sunday, that Tel Aviv is planning to construct an underground barrier to counter tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. As reported by the Israeli Army Radio, the security official stated that the plan to build the wall in the Philadelphia Corridor follows the ongoing conflict with Gaza since October 7. They have approached Egypt regarding this matter.
The official added that the Egyptians understand the security need for such a construction.
Western media outlets have reported that the Israeli military has begun flooding the tunnels of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. An article in these outlets stated, “The attempt to flood the tunnels with Mediterranean Sea water is still in its early stages.”
Officials explained that Israeli efforts to destroy Hamas’s underground infrastructure are just beginning and may take weeks. This initiative started as Israel added two more pumps to the five installed last month, conducting several tests. Some officials in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration are concerned that using seawater may be ineffective and affect Gaza’s fresh water supply. However, other officials believe this measure could still aid in destroying part of the tunnel system.
Previously, “The Wall Street Journal” reported that Israel installed pumps capable of flooding Hamas’s tunnel system with seawater. Earlier, the First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, stated that Israel’s action to flood the underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip would constitute a war crime. Polyanskiy, during a meeting of the UN Security Council, remarked, “War crimes are escalating, and in recent days, there have been horrifying reports about Israel’s plans to flood the underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip with seawater.”
The Israeli military continues military operations against the Gaza Strip since October 7, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls the region, launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” They fired thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel and invaded Israeli towns bordering the Strip, resulting in approximately 1,400 Israeli deaths and the capture of about 250 others.
The battles included a 7-day truce brokered by Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation, during which a prisoner exchange of women and children took place, and agreed-upon amounts of aid were allowed into the Gaza Strip. The military operations resumed on December 1.
To date, the Israeli attack on Gaza has resulted in over 18,000 deaths, predominantly children and women, and more than 50,000 injuries.
