Israel Engages in War Against Hamas Tunnels with Tracking Robots and Explosive Gel

Israeli army engineers, after locating the entrance to a Hamas tunnel beneath an evacuated hospital in northern Gaza, filled the passage with explosive gel and then detonated it. Surveillance footage shows the explosion engulfing the building, with smoke rising from at least three points along a road near one of the neighborhoods in Beit Hanoun. An Israeli army officer at a press conference at the 'Zalim' ground forces base in southern Israel stated that the dispersed gel exploded everything that was in the tunnel. Clearing the tunnels is a crucial part of Israel's military operation against the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip, which is in response to a deadly attack by the group on southern Israel on October 6. According to Reuters, when equipment is not used to map shelters, communication shafts, and tunnels that both Israel and Palestinians claim exist for hundreds of kilometers beneath Gaza, the Israeli army employs tracking robots and other remotely controlled technologies. This Israeli army officer, who declined to disclose his identity, did not provide further details about the ongoing underground battle or the name of the hospital in Beit Hanoun. Referring to what he called the innovations and capabilities used in this war, he mentioned that during the operation, some militants who attacked Israeli soldiers from within the tunnels were killed. He added that Palestinian militants are ambushing Israeli soldiers in these narrow, dark, poorly ventilated passages that they are well acquainted with, and there are many homemade bombs and booby traps in the tunnels. According to the report, last week, an explosion of a bomb at the entrance shaft of one of the tunnels resulted in the deaths of four Israeli reserve special forces soldiers. Security sources say that Hamas has tunnels in Gaza for attacks, smuggling, and storage, with dozens of shafts leading to each tunnel at depths of 20 to 80 meters underground. According to this Israeli officer, destroying the shafts is easy and any squad can do it. The Israeli army announced last week that 130 shafts have been destroyed so far, but did not provide details on the number of destroyed tunnels. Destroying tunnels is more challenging and requires several tons of explosive gel to destroy every few hundred meters. This officer stated that about half of the shafts in the Beit Hanoun operational area have been destroyed but acknowledged that they can be rebuilt. He added that all the tunnels are interconnected, making it difficult to determine how many have been destroyed. Previously, Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, stated on Tuesday, November 14, that there are kilometers of tunnels beneath Gaza City, running under schools and hospitals, containing weapon depots, communication rooms, and Hamas militant hideouts. Hamas, which is supported by the Islamic Republic, has denied using hospitals as cover for such tunnels. This Palestinian group disputes Israel's claim that a command center is located beneath 'Al-Shifa,' Gaza's largest hospital. Israeli forces successfully entered this hospital on Wednesday. Israel has ordered the evacuation of four cities in southern Gaza. The President of Israel stated that a 'very strong force' must be present to prevent Hamas from resurfacing in Gaza. Biden stated that the war will stop when Hamas can no longer kill Israelis. A verbal clash occurred between Erdogan and Netanyahu; Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state, while Netanyahu accused him of supporting Hamas. Military equipment was discovered in Al-Shifa hospital; Israel stated that this hospital has been a base for Hamas's 'terrorist' objectives. The Security Council, through a resolution, called for 'extended humanitarian pauses' in the Gaza Strip.