Extensive Hamas Tunnel Network Points to Israeli Intelligence Failure

[EC]

Long, but well worth the read.

Israel launched its bloody offensive in Gaza to stop Hamas from lobbing missiles at major cities like Tel Aviv. The biggest challenge to the vaunted Israeli army, though, is coming from the ground, not the air: a sophisticated network of Hamas tunnels that have surprised Israeli security officials, caused a huge number of military fatalities, and struck fear into the hearts of many ordinary Israelis.

Israeli military, intelligence, and political officials have known for years that Hamas fighters were burrowing into their country from Gaza through underground tunnels. An Israeli army spokesman said this month that the military had discovered four tunnels just in the past 18 months, well before Israel's current ground offensive began. But in interviews, current and former Israeli officials said the military and intelligence services didn't realize the extent of Hamas's subterranean operations, nor did political leaders act to counter a threat that has become the central focus of Israel's Gaza campaign and stands as potentially the biggest Israeli intelligence failure in years.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the military has so far discovered far more tunnels -- 40 and counting -- than Israel had previously thought existed. The number came as a surprise, as did the sophistication of the tunnel network. Current and former officials said that Israeli intelligence and political leaders knew that the tunnels were fortified with concrete and had space to store weapons and food. But Israeli intelligence analysts and political leaders didn't comprehend that the tunnels were wide enough to move several Hamas fighters into the country at a time, and they didn't realize how many of the tunnels ended up in Israel, particularly near civilians. (A Hamas video that shows fighters emerging from a tunnel and attacking an Israeli military installation provides a vivid example of why Israelis have so come to fear the clandestine attacks.)

Read more: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/07/31/extensive_hamas_tunnel_network_points_to_israeli_intelligence_failure_harris

[Right_in_Virginia]

Current and former officials said that Israeli intelligence and political leaders knew that the tunnels were fortified with concrete and had space to store weapons and food. But Israeli intelligence analysts and political leaders didn't comprehend that the tunnels were wide enough to move several Hamas fighters into the country at a time

Fortified and capable of storing weapons and supplies...but not wide enough to move fighters?

Nice spin. 

When the dust settles, Israelis are due some answers on the glaring failure.

[sinkspur]

This is an entirely unrelated matter to the FACT that Hamas built tunnels and that now is the time to destroy them.

A 72 hour cease fire takes effect in five hours.  Israeli forces will remain in Gaza and continue to destroy tunnels during that 72 hour period.  It will be perilous, and Hamas will no doubt break the cease fire numerous times.

But destroying the tunnels is the objective, and Israel should not stop until every single one of them is dust.

[DCPatriot]

This is an entirely unrelated matter to the FACT that Hamas built tunnels and that now is the time to destroy them.

A 72 hour cease fire takes effect in five hours.  Israeli forces will remain in Gaza and continue to destroy tunnels during that 72 hour period.  It will be perilous, and Hamas will no doubt break the cease fire numerous times.

But destroying the tunnels is the objective, and Israel should not stop until every single one of them is dust.

Doesn't it weaken whatever is above at ground level?  Or are they so deep that a controlled explosion collapsing it wouldn't adversely affect the surface?

[EC]

Doesn't it weaken whatever is above at ground level?  Or are they so deep that a controlled explosion collapsing it wouldn't adversely affect the surface?

I'd plug them with concrete with a couple of nice surprises if they tried to reopen them. Someone still makes land mines - right?

[sinkspur]

Doesn't it weaken whatever is above at ground level?  Or are they so deep that a controlled explosion collapsing it wouldn't adversely affect the surface?

I don't know.  But what Israel seems to be doing is bombing them or exploding them so that the concrete structure crumbles and they can't be rebuilt easily.

But they will be rebuilt.  Terrorists will never take care of their citizens. 

[Fishrrman]

Why not get some powerful pumps, and just start pumping sea water into every tunnel that Israel finds?

Just keep pumping, so long as the water keeps "going somewhere"...

[Chieftain]

Nonsense.  The whole world has known about these tunnels for years.  National Geographic did a whole color photo spread on them just last year.  It is no secret that Hamas has turned Gaza into an enormous Swiss Cheese over the years.  All of the materials are coming in from Egypt, including artillery missiles made in Iran, and nobody seems to notice any of that.

Hamas has had a command bunker in the basement of the main hospital in Gaza for a decade, and Israel has spoken of it for years as a perfect example of how Hamas uses civilians as human shields.

Moving on.