The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that the effectiveness and effectiveness of the tunnel network in the battles of the Gaza Strip is due to a defensive approach developed by the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) – to confront the occupation forces and ensure the neutralization of their threat.
During his analysis for Tel Aviv Tribune, Al-Duwairi pointed out that the defensive approach resulted from the fusion of three points: the network of complex tunnels, the preparation of the individual fighter, and the equipment that ensures the neutralization of opposing superiority.
Regarding the tunnel network, he said that initially the talk was between 500 and 570 kilometres, but new Western reports spoke of a different vision, ranging between 560 and 720 kilometres, revealing the presence of 5,700 tunnel openings.
He stressed that the tunnel network was built on the basis that “if a part of it is discovered, it will not lead to the discovery of the whole,” adding, “This is why the multiplicity of layers of tunnels with depths of 30 – 60 – 80 meters appeared, as well as the multiplicity of their strategic, storage, offensive and defensive types.”
The second point in the defensive approach – according to the strategic expert – depends on the individual fighter’s physical, professional, ideological and skill preparation, referring to his ability to endure in light of the lack of oxygen, complete darkness and absence of sunlight, in addition to his remaining in a continuous moment of semi-vigilance.
The third point – according to Al-Duwairi – revolves around the military equipment that is supposed to neutralize the occupation’s superiority in the battle, pointing out that the Qassam cannot wage a traditional battle with the occupation, which entered northern Gaza with three military divisions.
He adds that the resistance had to find the appropriate weapon that would enable it to achieve this, so it engaged in fighting the zero distance (130 meters) to neutralize this advantage.
A few days ago, the American newspaper The New York Times reported that the occupation army was surprised by the length, depth and quality of the tunnel network under Gaza. The newspaper’s report stated that these tunnels represent an underground nightmare for the Israeli army and the core of Hamas’ ability to survive.
According to the report, Hamas invested heavily in tunnels because it does not have the resources or number of forces necessary to fight the Israeli army in a conventional war. It uses them as military bases and arsenals, and relies on them to move its forces without being detected, and to protect its senior leaders.