Tracking robots and explosive gel: this is how the IDF destroys the tunnels under Gaza

THE HAMAS TUNNELS

• The efforts of the Israeli army have been concentrated in recent days in destroy Hamas underground tunnels, in the Gaza Strip. According to Israel they would be found there terrorist bases, in that network of tunnels – it is estimated that there are around 130 of them – built underground, at a depth ranging from 20 to 80 meters

THE SKY TG24 SPECIAL ON THE CONFLICT

PHASE 1: CLEANING

• In a briefing with journalists, an Israeli army officer explained how the demolition of the underground city takes place. First of all there is a reclamation phase, carried out through locator robots and remotely managed technologies

Israeli army: Hamas tunnel discovered under mosque in Gaza. THE PHOTOS

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PHASE 2: EXPLOSIVE

• Then, the tunnel is filled with tons of explosive gel. The excavation is filled and then the detonator is activated

War in Gaza, the crucial role of Hamas tunnels

WHY THE EXPLOSIVE?

• The explosive is considered the safest technique because it causes Israeli soldiers should not enter the tunnels and face possible direct clashes with Hamas men (archive photo from 2016)

WATCH THE VIDEO: This is how the IDF destroys the tunnels under Gaza

THE DANGERS OF TUNNELS

• Not only that, entering the enemy’s tunnels also means be exposed to “traps”. Last week four special forces officers were killed by an explosion during the inspection of a tunnel: the device had been fixed to the cover of an access shaft

THE ALTERNATIVE: AIR OFFENSIVE

• Then there is the air offensive. Some tunnels may be indeed “attacked from the sky”, said an Israeli official quoted by The Times of Israel

THE STUDY OF THE TUNNELS

• As he remembers Al Jazeera, Israel has been preparing to tackle the tunnels since the 2014 incursion into Gaza. Over the years, it has implemented surveillance with drones, using sophisticated software that analyzes movement patterns and identifying hundreds of inputs

THE DIFFICULTIES OF MAPPING

• However, identifying the entrances is not enough. A specific mapping is also needed. But problems arise. The first is technical: positioning devices in the tunnels GPS are useless because satellite signals cannot penetrate the ground

THE SOLUTIONS

• The solution may be to use devices that combine magnetic sensors And motion sensors like those used in pedometers

INSIDE THE TUNNELS ONLY WHEN NECESSARY

• Once inside, when absolutely necessary, the soldiers proceed with night vision glasses, so as not to use lights and thus make themselves very visible to the enemy. But this remains the last option

Gaza and Hamas’ underground tunnel network: where they are and what they are for