IDF unveils 'Operation Atlantis' for flooding Hamas tunnels
IDF unveils 'Operation Atlantis' for flooding Hamas tunnels
The IDF explained that it initially analyzes the characteristics of the soil and the water system in the area to ensure that the possibility of using groundwater in the area would not be compromised
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that it has been flooding tunnels in Gaza with seawater, revealing new details on what has been named “Operation Atlantis”.
According to the IDF's announcement, it has been neutralizing underground terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip by pumping water into them. The announcement specifies that units in the IDF and the Ministry of Defense jointly developed tools for injecting water at a high rate into Hamas tunnels, as part of the variety of tools the IDF is using to deal with the tunnels.
The IDF explained that it initially analyzes the characteristics of the soil and the water system in the area to ensure that the possibility of using groundwater in the area would not be compromised. The army emphasized that water injection occurs only in tunnels found suitable for this purpose.
"This project is one of the tools developed by the IDF and the security establishment in recent years to deal with Hamas’ underground infrastructure,” the IDF said. “This basket of tools includes attacks from the air, underground maneuvering, and special operations with technological means. This tool constitutes a significant engineering and technological breakthrough in dealing with the underground challenge and was developed in the joint work of various bodies in the security system."
Operation "Atlantis" commenced at the end of last year when Israel began installing pumps in the northern Gaza Strip. According to the "Wall Street Journal," earlier this month, Israel installed at least one pump in Khan Yunis to damage the network of tunnels there. An American official said that water from the Mediterranean Sea was used in the first pumps in Gaza, while water from Israel was used in the new pump.
According to the same report, in some cases, walls and other barriers stopped or slowed the flow of water. Sea water caused corrosion in some of the tunnels, but according to American officials, the plan was not as effective as expected in Israel.
Earlier this week, the WSJ reported that some 80% of the Hamas tunnel system beneath Gaza remains intact.
"U.S. and Israeli officials have had difficulty precisely assessing the level of destruction of the tunnels, in part because they can’t say for certain how many miles of tunnels exist," the paper said, adding that officials from both countries estimate 20% to 40% of the tunnels have been damaged or rendered inoperable, most of them in northern Gaza.
