No word yet on the number of locations or the volume of seawater being pumped, but an IDF spokesman has announced that Hamas tunnels in Gaza are being flooded.
I am actually surprised that it took so long.
The Egyptians have used this technique to destroy under-border tunnels for years:
The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it has flooded tunnels in the Gaza Strip in an effort to destroy them.
Foreign media had reported on Israel's plans to flood tunnels in Gaza, but Israel hadn't confirmed that it was using the tactic until now.
According to the army, tunnels have been flooded only in locations suitable for this method, without impairing the use of groundwater. The IDF added that pumps and pipes were installed in the Gaza Strip for this purpose.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had begun pumping seawater into tunnels, as a part of an operation called Sea of Atlantis. Three American sources who spoke to the newspaper at the time said the process is expected to last weeks and that Israel is using seven pumps.
According to the report, despite warnings that process could harm sewage infrastructure, buildings, and freshwater reservoirs, Israeli carried it out on a number of occasions, and even installed an additional pump in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip at the beginning of the month.
According to American officials, the operation turned out to be less effective than anticipated, largely due to obstructions and wall barriers which stopped the water flow. The Wall Street Journal reported that approximately 80 percent of Gaza's intricate network of tunnels remain intact despite weeks of Israeli attempts to destroy them.
I'm not sure what the final efficacy of the water pumping will be, but to quote the Doctor, "Water always wins."
Seriously though, I do not see a good end to this from the perspective of either Hamas or Israel, and once again the bulk of the Palestinian population is little more than a means to an end.
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