The Israeli army issued a statement on Sunday claiming to have discovered a Hamas tunnel under Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital. He also released images of tunnels taken on November 17. Here’s what the images tell us:
What happened in al-Shifa?
On November 15, Israel launched an aggressive raid on Gaza’s largest medical complex, al-Shifa Hospital. Lasting several days, the raid was described by Israel as a “precise and targeted” operation aimed at finding an alleged underground tunnel system leading to a Hamas military control center.
The allegation that Hamas operated a control center beneath the hospital was supported by Israeli and American intelligence services. Hamas and al-Shifa medical staff denied the allegation.
The Israeli military also released a 3D animated video on October 28, visualizing a vast network of tunnels leading to an elaborate, multi-story control center.
What the new video from the Israeli tunnel tells us
On Sunday, Israel announced that a tunnel 55 meters long (180 feet) and 10 meters deep (32 feet) had been discovered beneath the hospital.
The statement said the tunnel was discovered “in the hospital area, under a hangar, next to a vehicle containing numerous weapons, including RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), explosives and Kalashnikov rifles.” .
The Israeli military also released video recorded using two separate cameras on November 17. Spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters the entrance was discovered when a military bulldozer knocked down the hospital’s exterior wall, revealing a metal spiral staircase that descended 10m (32ft). ) and led to a blast door, which is usually a metal door with strong latches and hinges, designed to resist explosions. Such doors are commonly found in facilities such as bomb shelters.
But military analyst Zoran Kusovac cited a Gaza civil engineer who suggested the video was actually clips from two different tunnels strung together.
The first section of the video shows the vertical shaft coming down. It shows features such as concrete load-bearing columns. They appear to have been built using conventional civil engineering techniques, which would have required large, noisy machines such as concrete mixers.
Such construction could not have been carried out in secret, as Hamas tunnels usually are. The purpose of this construction remains unknown.
The second part of the clip shows the horizontal tunnel. This presents the characteristics of Hamas tunnels: prefabricated pieces linked together section by section.
Was a Hamas control center discovered under Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital?
No control center has been found so far. Israeli troops have not yet attempted to open the blast door at the end of the tunnel that they believe was under al-Shifa, fearing it could be booby-trapped, Hagari said.
Kusovac said many different types of traps can be placed to prevent tunnel interceptions. These are typically improvised explosive devices (IEDs) connected to detonators that can be triggered by a tripwire or even light or pressure. They detect the presence of a person entering the tunnel and trigger the explosive. “IEDs are basically like the toys that grown-ups make. The more creative you are, the more successful you are,” Kusovac said.
If armies suspect the presence of such booby traps, the usual regulation is to call in explosion experts who arrive and assess the situation. Kusovac said it usually takes a few hours, not more than a day. This delay calls into question the veracity of the Israeli military’s claims. “You say it’s smoking gun, you get there and then you don’t show the smoking gun,” he said.
CNN, among other media outlets, visited the exposed tunnel shaft and confirmed the presence of a tunnel, but could not establish whether or not the tunnel led to a command center.
Does Hamas operate underground tunnels?
The Gaza tunnels were first built in 1980, when the enclave was under Israeli occupation, and before the formation of Hamas in 1987. They were built under the Egyptian border for smuggling of all kinds of goods, including weapons, fuel and black market goods. .
Over time, the Palestinians realized that the tunnels could have a military use. The first sign of military use of the tunnels was in 2001, when an Israeli military post was blown up with an underground explosive. The tunnels entered the Israeli public consciousness when Palestinian fighters emerged from the tunnel shaft and kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006.
Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip after Hamas took control in 2007. The tunnels became the way to circumvent the siege and transport food, goods and weapons. Under Hamas, tunnels developed strategically.
The tunnels are also used by Hamas for wired communications, since Israel can intercept wireless communications.
After attacking Gaza in 2014, Israel became aware of the extent and sophistication of the tunnels, which were believed to have exceeded 100 km (62 miles).
A tunnel war would result in much destruction. The magnitude of the explosives would be larger and more deadly than usual due to the smaller surface area of the tunnels. For the same reason, the use of ordinary ammunition could prove too “clumsy” and therefore unviable.
Al-Shifa is not the only hospital that Israel says is used by Hamas as a military base. On November 8, Tel Aviv Tribune’s verification unit Sanad refuted Israel’s claim that there was a Hamas tunnel under the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Hospital, commonly known as the hospital Qatari.
Satellite images and archival photos showed that the hatch that Israel claimed was the entrance to the tunnel was actually part of a water tank system used to fill therapeutic pools for amputees, water the grounds and also provided an emergency water source.
An Tel Aviv Tribune digital investigation found no basis for Israeli forces’ claim that there is a Hamas tunnel under Gaza’s Sheikh Hamad Hospital ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4640OprGwk
– Tel Aviv Tribune English (@AJEnglish) November 7, 2023