The Urban Hellscape Awaiting IDF in Gaza

In the years since Bernstein and the Israeli military last fought in Gaza, Hamas fighters have developed a more sophisticated network of tunnels—long known as the “Gaza Metro”—that could give them an insurgent’s advantage.

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The subterranean labyrinth below the Gaza Strip, which is about 25 miles long and 8 miles wide, extends for an estimated 500 miles. Some tunnels are more than 200 feet underground, so they are able to withstand bombardment from above. Many are equipped with lights, storage rooms, supplies and weapons that allow Hamas fighters to remain hidden below ground for days, if not weeks.

“Tunnel warfare and urban warfare are inherently difficult,” said Brian Michael Jenkins, a senior adviser at security think tank Rand and an expert on terrorism. “Many advantages a modern military will have are degraded by an urban environment.”

The tunnels also represent a new conundrum for Israel: They likely are being used to hide from Israel and other countries many of the men, women and children whom Hamas kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack.

[This will not be easy; it will be brutal, long, and will produce lots of bodies on both sides. Israel has refrained from this action for the last several years because the threat didn’t seem to justify the risk. Now that Hamas has proven itself to be an existential threat to Israel, however, the IDF really has no choice but to proceed. I’ll discuss this with Heritage scholar John Venable today on the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio starting at 3 pm ET. — Ed]

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