Israel has assembled a large system of pumps that may be used to flood tunnels used by militant group Hamas under the Gaza Strip in a bid to drive out fighters, a US media report said citing US officials.
Around the middle of November, Israel’s army completed the set-up of at least five pumps more than a kilometre north of the Al-Shati refugee camp that could move thousands of cubic metres of water per hour, flooding the tunnels within weeks, the Wall Street Journal said.
It was not clear whether Israel would consider using the pumps before all hostages were released, according to the story. Hamas has previously said it has hidden captives in “safe places and tunnels”.
Reuters could not verify the details of Monday’s report.
When asked about the story, a US official said it made sense for Israel to render the tunnels inoperable and that the country was exploring a range of ways to do that.
Israel’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel’s military admits 2 civilian deaths in Gaza for every Hamas fighter
Israel’s military admits 2 civilian deaths in Gaza for every Hamas fighter
The Wall Street Journal said an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) official declined to comment on the flooding plan but was quoted as saying: “The IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas’ terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools”.
Israel first informed the United States of the option last month, the report said, saying that officials did not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was to carrying out the plan.
Israel has not made a final decision to go ahead or rule it out, the officials were cited as saying.
The reported plan for the Gaza tunnels came as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip after expanding their offensive deeper into the besieged territory.
Israel had initially focused its offensive on the north of the territory, but the army is now also dropping leaflets on parts of the south, telling Palestinian civilians there to flee to other areas.
Israeli tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers were seen on Monday near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, which is packed with civilians who fled their homes further north in the territory earlier in the war, witnesses said.
The army said Monday it was taking “aggressive” action against “Hamas and other terrorist organisations” in Khan Yunis, warning that the main road in the north and east of the city “constitutes a battlefield”.
Hamas claimed via Telegram its militants had targeted two personnel carriers and a tank near Khan Yunis.
Rocket salvoes were again fired from Gaza towards Israeli territory.
Israel army denies telling WHO to empty aid warehouse in southern Gaza
Israel army denies telling WHO to empty aid warehouse in southern Gaza
As the war spreads, international aid organisations have warned that civilians in the densely populated territory are running out of places to flee to.
“Nowhere is safe in Gaza and there is nowhere left to go,” said Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories.
Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group’s October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and which saw around 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities.
In retaliation for the worst attack in its history, Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas and secure the release of all the hostages held in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the war has killed nearly 15,900 people in the territory, around 70 per cent of them women and children.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse