The Gaza tunnel rats

Telegraph:

The tunnels were being used by mortar squads that are spearheaded the Hamas attacks on Israeli forces, defence officials told The Daily Telegraph.

The squads – led by fighters believed to have been trained in Lebanon and Iran – are based inside intricate tunnel networks that can be accessed from mosques, Hamas commanders homes and public buildings. In close combat fighting, Hamas operatives use the tunnel layout to lure Israel soldiers into ambushes where they could be captured or killed.

The complexity of fighting in urban areas, allied to the dangers of so-called friendly fire in confined spaces, ranks as the main reason Israel does not want a prolonged operation in Gaza.

The advantages of tunnels for guerrilla fighters has been well known since the Vietnam War. Hamas has used its time as master of Gaza – it drove out the rivals Fattah organisation from the strip in 2007 – to prepare defences against an Israeli incursion.

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Hamas fighters used the tunnels to plant explosives and set trip wires in buildings next door to positions used by Israeli troops as rest or mustering points.

Munitions and explosives have been strategically placed throughout the tunnels. Israel claims to have destroyed a "large number" of tunnels in air raids that triggered "quite a few" secondary explosions of arms caches.

Gaza's cramped and densely populated urban areas means the tunnels are just spartan corridors with mustering points, not the command room bunkers used by Hizbollah. Senior Hamas figures are thought to be sheltering inside. "When the government says specific leadership figures have gone underground that is meant literally in some cases," an Israeli official said.

Above ground the tunnel entrances have been covered by rugs, radiators and even toy boxes in local homes.

Hamas has also evolved its strategy for firing rockets from the Gaza strip into Israel. Launch pads are dug into below-ground silos that are virtually impossible detect from the air. The majority of rockets are now triggered remotely using mobile phone signals or wires. "There's no need to be at the base of the launch plate with a box of matches any more," an official said.

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While civilians in southern towns face daily dangers, the missiles have proved an ineffective response to Israel's onslaught. Troops deploying near Gaza can still gather in the open within sight of the territory, confident that any outgoing fire will go over their heads.

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I have noted before that the safest place to be in Israel is as a soldier on the border with Gaza. Hamas would much rather hit Israeli noncombatants. While the tunnel systems are clever they are not bunkers that can protect them from Israeli bombs. I suspect that before the conflict is over that Gaza streets and roads will be collapsed as Israel methodically destroys the tunnel systems.