• How Israel’s strategies to destroy the tunnels have failed
• How the Hamas death toll falls short of Israel’s war aims
“All Hamas members are dead men, above ground, underground, in Gaza, and outside Gaza.” These were the words of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the land invasion of Gaza began. Yet according to a classified report from US intelligence earlier this month, only around 20–30% of Hamas soldiers have been killed, and of those that have been injured, many have recovered enough to go back to the battlefield.
Israel was carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes long before the land invasion had begun, killing thousands of women and children; however, to rid Hamas members whom they claimed were hiding in tunnels underground, Israel claimed a land invasion was essential. It is important to note that a land invasion may have only been an excuse to occupy Gaza, push out Palestinians, and resettle Israeli settlers into Gaza, tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
How did US intelligence come to these numbers, and do they contradict Israeli claims?
With intercepted communications to the analysis of Gazan ruins as well as the drone surveillance of territory, with the addition of intelligence provided by Israel, it is imperative for the US to find all the information it needs to help aid its adopted son Israel. It has done all the above and has determined a death toll lower than what Israel had announced. According to Netanyahu, in a statement from January 18, Israel has killed two-thirds of Hamas fighting regiments in Gaza. A number that is contradicted by the US report. The US report was released after Netanyahu’s statement, and the IDF has refused to comment on the report. The official numbers from the US put the Hamas deaths between 20–30% and the official injuries at 10,500–11,500. However, the US has said that many of those injured have recovered enough to go back to the battlefield to fight. This again contradicts Israel’s claim that 16,000 Hamas soldiers have been injured. Israel also claims that half of them are so badly injured that they cannot return to the battlefield. This was again debunked.
80% of the tunnels are still in tact
Even with the dramatic action-packed videos the IDF have posted on X showing tunnels within Gaza being searched, along with the wild claims of seawater being pumped into the tunnels by the IDF themselves, it becomes paramount that the IDF has not been able to effectively achieve its ambitions in destroying the tunnel system and freeing the hostages from them. It is estimated that there are 300 miles of tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. This is roughly half the size of the New York Subway. Thwarting Hamas tunnels is a keystone in capturing Hamas’s top leaders while rescuing the remaining hostages. Israel has said that by destroying the tunnels, it denies safe storage of weapons and ammunition, a hiding spot for fighters, a command centre for leadership, and stops the ability to manoeuvre around territory. Israel has tried time and time again to destroy the tunnels with airstrikes, raids, liquid explosives, and even by using pumps to flood them with water from the Mediterranean. The idea of pumping sea water into underground tunnels raised concerns about the fresh water supply becoming mixed with the salty water. It also raised concerns that it could damage the ground infrastructure. Regardless of the risks and dangers to civilian life, Israel has continued to install pumps to try to thwart the tunnels within Gaza. Last month, Israel even claimed to install one pump in the occupied regions of South Gaza in the southern city of Khan Younis, despite there being a far denser population. Yet late last month, in January, according to both US and Israeli officials, as much as 80% of tunnels remain in tact.
Why has Israel failed to destroy the tunnel system and failed to destroy Hamas after months of fighting?
Israel has specialised troops to destroy tunnels, as it has been well known for decades among Israeli military chiefs and ministers that beneath Gaza lies a tunnel system. However, these troops were trained to destroy the tunnels, not rescue the 109 hostages that are still within them. In addition to this unexpected scenario facing these Israeli soldiers, it is believed that some of Hamas’s top leaders are with the hostages in command centres beneath the Gaza strip, with their exact location unknown. On top of this, sea water only corroded the tunnels and wasn’t as effective as the Israelis had hoped. It was discovered that Hamas had built walls, barriers, and defences within the tunnel system to thwart Israeli strategies.
300 miles of Hamas tunnels are beneath the Gaza Strip, with Israeli techniques proving ineffective
Hamas has been able to minimise its casualties by operating in smaller groups while hiding between ambushes on Israeli troops. After pressure from the US to transition into a ‘surgical phase’, Israel has withdrawn thousands of its troops from Gaza, limiting their ability to counteract guerrilla warfare. US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Hamas has enough munitions to continue firing at Israel for months.
Is Israel losing grip in Gaza?
Early last month, according to Israel’s Yediot Ahronoth newspaper, around 12,500 Israeli soldiers were disabled due to the fighting in Gaza. This was said to be a ‘conservative and cautious estimate’. The number is likely to be far higher now as a significant amount of time has passed since then with fighting still going on. There are also reports that Hamas forces have carried out strikes in northern Gaza in areas that were already cleared by Israel. The Guardian reported late last month that ‘Hamas militants have returned to northern Gaza, where they are mobilising against Israeli forces and rebuilding a system of governance, aid officials, Gaza residents, analysts and Israeli officials say’. Seeing as Israel has already reduced the number of troops they had previously deployed into Gaza after US pressure, and seeing as the humanitarian situation has been deteriorating ever more in Gaza with more pressure for a ceasefire in addition to the ICJ ruling indicating the IDF should show restraint, it becomes evident that Israel will likely not be able to destroy Hamas in the time it has left nor be able to prevent their control over the region from resuming.
