New York Times: Most of the Hamas tunnels are intact

The New York Times quoted American officials as saying that most of Hamas’s tunnel network remains intact and that “Israel cannot achieve its goal of destroying the group’s military capability in the foreseeable future.”

This American newspaper emphasized that at least 5,000 Hamas fighters are still present in the north of the Gaza Strip, above and below ground, and the resistance movement is still active there and is able to launch rockets towards the occupied territories and attack the Israeli infantry forces. slow.

This newspaper has emphasized that despite the martyrdom of more than 29,000 Palestinians, the flattening of neighborhoods, the “destroying of families, the orphaning of children, and the displacement of around 1.7 million people,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal is to “destroy Hamas.” It is still “out of mind”.

The White House has previously indicated that while “eliminating the military threat posed by Hamas” is an “achievable goal” for Israel, the complete elimination of the group may not be achievable.

Israeli and American authorities are surprised by Hamas tunnels

In mid-January, The New York Times revealed detailed details about the Gaza tunnels used by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, shocking some Israeli and American officials.

A tunnel in Gaza was big enough for a senior Hamas leader to drive a car through. The other was about three football fields. The Israeli occupying forces claimed to have discovered a spiral staircase under the house of a senior Hamas leader, which leads to a tunnel seven stories deep.

Video and photo images of these tunnels show why the Israeli forces were afraid of the tunnels before attacking Gaza.

The occupying forces now have reason to believe there are many tunnels under Gaza, and US and Israeli officials have expressed surprise at the “extent, depth and quality” of the tunnels, even some of the equipment used by Hamas to build the tunnels.

Senior Israeli officials told The New York Times on condition of anonymity that the network is estimated to be between 350 and 450 miles long. Aaron Greenstone, a former CIA officer in the West Asia, stated that Hamas has “used time and resources over the last 15 years to turn Gaza into a fortress.”

According to Greenstone, these tunnels are now an “underground nightmare” for Israeli forces.

Israeli officials admitted that destroying the tunnels would not be easy, as they would have to be mapped, screened for prisoners, and rendered irreparable except for destruction. Recent attempts to destroy the tunnels by filling them with seawater have been unsuccessful.Officials have also predicted that disabling the Hamas tunnel system will take years.