Thousands of Hamas fighters in northern Gaza, most tunnels intact: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
24 Feb 2024 01:00
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The New York Times says at least 5,000 Hamas fighters are still in the northern Gaza Strip, above and below ground, and that the Resistance movement remains active there.

A screen grab from a video published by al-Qassam Brigades showing the moment a Resistance fighter targeted an Israeli military vehicle. (Military Media of al-Qassam Brigades)

The New York Times cited US officials as saying that the majority of Hamas tunnel network remains intact, and that "Israel will not be able to achieve, in the foreseeable future, its goal of eliminating the group’s military capability."

The American newspaper emphasized that at least 5,000 Hamas fighters are still in the northern Gaza Strip, above and below ground, and that the Resistance movement remains active there, capable of launching rockets at "Israel" and attacking Israeli infantry forces.

It highlighted that despite more than 29,000 Palestinians killed, neighborhoods flattened, "families wiped out, children orphaned, and an estimated 1.7 million people displaced," Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of "destroying Hamas" remains "elusive", as per current and former Israeli security officials.

The White House has previously mentioned that while it is an "attainable goal" for "Israel" to "eliminate the military threat posed by Hamas", completely eliminating the group might not be achievable.

Israeli, US officials 'astonished' by Hamas tunnels: NYT

In mid-January, The New York Times revealed intimate details of the shock expressed by some Israeli and American officials regarding tunnels in Gaza used by the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas.

One tunnel in Gaza was large enough for a senior Hamas leader to drive a car through. Another was approximately three football fields long. The Israeli occupation forces claimed they discovered a spiral staircase beneath the home of a top Hamas leader, leading to a tunnel around seven floors deep.

Video and photo footage of the tunnels showcase why the Israeli forces were terrified of the tunnels before their onslaught in Gaza.

The occupation forces now have reason to believe there are scores more tunnels beneath Gaza and US and Israeli officials have expressed surprise at the "scope, depth, and quality" of the tunnels, even some of the gear used by Hamas to construct the tunnels.

Senior Israeli officials anonymously told NYT that the network is estimated to be between 350 and 450 miles long, which is exceptional for a territory with a longest point of about 25 miles. Two of the officers also estimated that there are around 5,700 different shafts heading down to the tunnels.

Aaron Greenstone, a former CIA officer with experience in the Middle East expressed that Hamas made use of the "time and resources over the last 15 years to turn Gaza into a fortress."

According to Greenstone, the tunnels are now considered a "subterranean nightmare" for the Israeli forces.

Israeli officials admitted that destroying the tunnels would not be an "easy task", since they need to be mapped, examined for captives, and not simply impaired but made irreparable. Recent attempts to obliterate the tunnels by flooding them with seawater were unsuccessful.

Officials have also anticipated that it would take years to deactivate Hamas' tunnel system.