.Hamas using 'underground city' to launch attacks on Israel from Gaza
The tunnels were being used by mortar squads that are spearheaded the Hamas attacks on Israeli forces, defence officials told The Daily Telegraph.
The squads – led by fighters believed to have been trained in Lebanon and Iran – are based inside intricate tunnel networks that can be accessed from mosques, Hamas commanders homes and public buildings. In close combat fighting, Hamas operatives use the tunnel layout to lure Israel soldiers into ambushes where they could be captured or killed.
The complexity of fighting in urban areas, allied to the dangers of so-called friendly fire in confined spaces, ranks as the main reason Israel does not want a prolonged operation in Gaza.
The advantages of tunnels for guerrilla fighters has been well known since the Vietnam War. Hamas has used its time as master of Gaza – it drove out the rivals Fattah organisation from the strip in 2007 – to prepare defences against an Israeli incursion.
Israeli commanders have released few details of the battles in Gaza and kept foreign correspondents out of the strip, in attempt to avoid the mistakes of its 2006 campaign against Hizbollah in Lebanon. It also built Arab style streets and buildings on a training camp to prepare its troops for the pitfalls of battle.
"We may not be fighting against an army, but there are a lot of incidents of battle here, from short range as well, and we are working in a slow and thorough manner," one officer told the Israeli media.
Hamas fighters used the tunnels to plant explosives and set trip wires in buildings next door to positions used by Israeli troops as rest or mustering points.
Munitions and explosives have been strategically placed throughout the tunnels. Israel claims to have destroyed a "large number" of tunnels in air raids that triggered "quite a few" secondary explosions of arms caches.
Gaza's cramped and densely populated urban areas means the tunnels are just spartan corridors with mustering points, not the command room bunkers used by Hizbollah. Senior Hamas figures are thought to be sheltering inside. "When the government says specific leadership figures have gone underground that is meant literally in some cases," an Israeli official said.
Above ground the tunnel entrances have been covered by rugs, radiators and even toy boxes in local homes.
Hamas has also evolved its strategy for firing rockets from the Gaza strip into Israel. Launch pads are dug into below-ground silos that are virtually impossible detect from the air. The majority of rockets are now triggered remotely using mobile phone signals or wires. "There's no need to be at the base of the launch plate with a box of matches any more," an official said.
Despite the presence of elements from five combat brigades in Gaza, Hamas has continued to target Israel with missiles that travelled 15 miles beyond the strip's frontier. There were more than one dozen attacks from Gaza yesterday.
"The capabilities of the rocket squads has quickly improved," said Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Israel's police. "The rockets are travelling deeper into Israel and while our systems for alerting people are improving, we hope the operation can destroy their ability to fire rockets."
While civilians in southern towns face daily dangers, the missiles have proved an ineffective response to Israel's onslaught. Troops deploying near Gaza can still gather in the open within sight of the territory, confident that any outgoing fire will go over their heads.
A separate network for tunnels straddling Gaza's border with Egypt has been pounded from the air by Israeli war planes. Closing these arteries and stopping the flow of rockets to the group is at the centre of international efforts to secure an Israeli ceasefire.
Israel's cabinet on Wednesday debated the outlines of a five point plan that would put Egypt at the forefront of efforts to squeeze Hamas access to weaponry.
In addition to flooding and booby-trapping stretches of the border, Egypt would accept the assistance of US military engineers to detect underground construction.
Egypt would also beef up its border customs monitoring.
Telegraph
Why aren't we using the ground penetrating radar to target these tunnels?
The squads – led by fighters believed to have been trained in Lebanon and Iran – are based inside intricate tunnel networks that can be accessed from mosques, Hamas commanders homes and public buildings. In close combat fighting, Hamas operatives use the tunnel layout to lure Israel soldiers into ambushes where they could be captured or killed.
The complexity of fighting in urban areas, allied to the dangers of so-called friendly fire in confined spaces, ranks as the main reason Israel does not want a prolonged operation in Gaza.
The advantages of tunnels for guerrilla fighters has been well known since the Vietnam War. Hamas has used its time as master of Gaza – it drove out the rivals Fattah organisation from the strip in 2007 – to prepare defences against an Israeli incursion.
Israeli commanders have released few details of the battles in Gaza and kept foreign correspondents out of the strip, in attempt to avoid the mistakes of its 2006 campaign against Hizbollah in Lebanon. It also built Arab style streets and buildings on a training camp to prepare its troops for the pitfalls of battle.
"We may not be fighting against an army, but there are a lot of incidents of battle here, from short range as well, and we are working in a slow and thorough manner," one officer told the Israeli media.
Hamas fighters used the tunnels to plant explosives and set trip wires in buildings next door to positions used by Israeli troops as rest or mustering points.
Munitions and explosives have been strategically placed throughout the tunnels. Israel claims to have destroyed a "large number" of tunnels in air raids that triggered "quite a few" secondary explosions of arms caches.
Gaza's cramped and densely populated urban areas means the tunnels are just spartan corridors with mustering points, not the command room bunkers used by Hizbollah. Senior Hamas figures are thought to be sheltering inside. "When the government says specific leadership figures have gone underground that is meant literally in some cases," an Israeli official said.
Above ground the tunnel entrances have been covered by rugs, radiators and even toy boxes in local homes.
Hamas has also evolved its strategy for firing rockets from the Gaza strip into Israel. Launch pads are dug into below-ground silos that are virtually impossible detect from the air. The majority of rockets are now triggered remotely using mobile phone signals or wires. "There's no need to be at the base of the launch plate with a box of matches any more," an official said.
Despite the presence of elements from five combat brigades in Gaza, Hamas has continued to target Israel with missiles that travelled 15 miles beyond the strip's frontier. There were more than one dozen attacks from Gaza yesterday.
"The capabilities of the rocket squads has quickly improved," said Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Israel's police. "The rockets are travelling deeper into Israel and while our systems for alerting people are improving, we hope the operation can destroy their ability to fire rockets."
While civilians in southern towns face daily dangers, the missiles have proved an ineffective response to Israel's onslaught. Troops deploying near Gaza can still gather in the open within sight of the territory, confident that any outgoing fire will go over their heads.
A separate network for tunnels straddling Gaza's border with Egypt has been pounded from the air by Israeli war planes. Closing these arteries and stopping the flow of rockets to the group is at the centre of international efforts to secure an Israeli ceasefire.
Israel's cabinet on Wednesday debated the outlines of a five point plan that would put Egypt at the forefront of efforts to squeeze Hamas access to weaponry.
In addition to flooding and booby-trapping stretches of the border, Egypt would accept the assistance of US military engineers to detect underground construction.
Egypt would also beef up its border customs monitoring.
Telegraph
Why aren't we using the ground penetrating radar to target these tunnels?
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