The Hamas tunnels under Gaza are a source of fascination for the public, but the film and photographic record of the tunnel where six hostages were executed should have changed that. The tunnels are not a child’s science project. They are a weapon, no less than a bomb is a weapon.

Thankfully James Stavridis recognizes this and has explained it just about as clearly as possible. Stavridis is the former supreme allied commander of NATO. He has written a column about the Gaza tunnels and the historical context of tunnel warfare.

But the most important accomplishment of the column is the obvious implication that were Israel to listen to global pressure to cut and run, global security would be harmed, materially and perhaps irreversibly.

Stavridis doesn’t say this explicitly, perhaps because he doesn’t have to or because he doesn’t want to. But there is no escaping the lesson of this story.