The IDF is planning to pump seawater into the Hamas tunnel network in Gaza according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Five large pumps have been assembled north of the al-Shati refugee camp during the last month, with each one capable of pumping thousands of cubic meters of seawater into the tunnels.
Israel informed US officials that they were considering this option last month and needed to weigh feasibility and environmental factors against military necessity.
Some US officials expressed concern about the plan while others supported the plan.
The process could take weeks and therefore could allow Hamas’s fighters to evacuate, potentially taking the hostages with them. However, it isn’t clear whether Israel would wait until all hostages are returned.
The environmental impact
One of the major concerns over this plan is the environmental impact of pumping seawater into the ground.
Sea water seeping into the soil is a major cause for concern as it can poison already semi-salinated aquifers deep in the ground as well as making the surface extremely unstable.
Fears that seawater would salinate Gaza’s soil, making it extremely difficult to grow crops. There are also concerns that substances stored in the tunnels could also seep into the soil further contaminating the area.
Former US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the plan would perhaps bring global condemnation, but they conceded it might be one of the few ways to permanently disable the tunnels.
Egypt flooded Hamas tunnels with seawater in 2015, which led to complaints from farmers in Rafah that it had damaged their crops.
Typically militaries use dogs and robots to clear tunnels, however, the effectiveness of flooding the tunnels may prove too lucrative option for the IDF, saving them time, money, and manpower.
Jesus Christ is King
Comments are closed.