A “highly complex” military operation is about to take place in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Experts believe that the scenario could be identical to that seen in Mariupol, Ukraine, however, on an even larger scale.
Hamas’ labyrinth of tunnels in Gaza is more than 500 kilometers long. Inside, there are improvised weapons factories, ammunition and food depots, command posts and safe places where extremists can hide safely from Israeli attacks.
It is almost “a second city” underground, which “nullifies Israel’s technological advantage” and could turn the war into “a prolonged conflict” that could transform Gaza into a “giant Mariupol”.
“It is inevitable that terrorists take refuge in this almost labyrinthine network of tunnels that connect to each other and are connected to several buildings. It’s almost a second underground city. This makes military operations very complex, with terrorists attacking and then taking refuge inside”, explains Major General of Portugal Isidro de Morais Pereira.
Initially built to smuggle goods and counter the blockade imposed by Israel, Hamas members quickly realized the potential of the structures to combat the Israeli Army.
The tunnel complex has grown and can currently be more than 500 kilometers long, with areas dedicated to storing weapons, food and water, as well as electrical generators and command centers. To give you an idea of the scale, the Lisbon metro network is “only” 44.5 km long. In São Paulo, for example, it is 104.4 km.
According to the Israeli army, the tunnel network has dozens of access points spread throughout the city, many of which are close to civilian homes. The characteristics make any military operation much more complex and make Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to “annihilate Hamas” difficult.
“An operation in an urban area is always a highly complex operation. Just look at the case of Bakhmut, which was a practically deserted city, and what it cost the Russian Army. An attack on a city is aimed at taking block by block, house by house, room by room. When fighting in a tunnel, the complexity of the fighting increases even more”, says Major General Agostinho Costa.
VIDEO – “Gaza Metro”: tunnels allow Hamas radicals to move
Technological supremacy
After the large-scale terrorist attack launched by Hamas on October 7, in which at least 1,400 people died, Israel responded through its technological superiority, using a modern Air Force with full capacity.
Every day, hundreds of missiles hit Gaza and turn its buildings into rubble. Despite the devastation, experts believe that these attacks may have little effect on degrading Hamas’ combat capacity, which is able to remain inside the tunnel network without being hit.
“A significant number of Hamas extremists will likely be able to survive the airstrikes by hiding in the Gaza tunnels. It is probably safe to assume that Hamas has supplied these tunnels with significant quantities of food, water, weapons and ammunition,” said Bradley Bowman, former United States Army officer and National Security Advisor to the Committee Members on the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs. of the Senate, in statements to NBC.
To significantly affect Hamas, Israel will have to deploy some of the most powerful anti-bunker weapons in its arsenal.
The state recently acquired GBU-28 laser-guided anti-bunker munitions, which weigh 2,268 kg and are capable of penetrating targets up to 50 meters deep, putting Palestinian tunnels in danger. However, the explosives create huge craters, which can worsen the humanitarian emergency in the region.
“The tunnels completely nullify Israel’s military technological advantage, with an enemy that can become invisible and blend into the population, the extremist movement takes advantage of all of this. It’s a war of patience and requires time and detailed planning”, says Isidro de Morais Pereira.
Azovstal 2.0
What follows is what the military calls a “clearance operation”, which, in essence, consists of emptying the entire tunnel complex of Hamas militants.
Operations require a large number of resources, not only material but also human. Therefore, the country mobilized around 360 thousand reservists, who will join the almost 200 thousand soldiers who were already in service.
In total, Israel will have more than 500,000 troops to attack Hamas. But to do this, you need to know precisely the location and entrances of the structures.
Isidro de Morais Pereira compares the scenario that Israel is about to face with the situation experienced in the city of Mariupol, in Ukraine, when Ukrainian military forces were surrounded and resisted for almost three months inside a complex system of tunnels at the Azovstal metallurgical factory.
The Israeli strategy to avoid a high number of casualties may be very similar to the siege method used by Russia in Mariupol, using time to its advantage and conducting military operations in a slow and methodical manner, until its enemy runs out of ammunition and your groceries.
All of these are signs that the war may last longer than expected.
“Gaza is surrounded and is reminiscent of Mariupol, but larger. If Mariupol took as long as it did, and with Hamas prepared, this could take a long time. Neutralizing Hamas could be a very time-consuming campaign”, warns the expert, who says that the Israel Defense Forces have several tactics that can be used to “clear” the Gaza tunnels, such as the massive use of tear gas and spears. -flames.
The idea was reinforced by the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, guaranteeing that this will be “a long war”, which will have “a high price”, but will end with a victory for Israel.
For Major General Agostinho Costa, the number of casualties will be “incomparably higher” than what was seen in Ukraine and it is not certain that Israel will be willing to accept a very high death toll.
“The delay in this operation is due to the tunnel network, because the Israeli army, despite being numerous, is not prepared for this type of combat. If it was, they would have already started the operation and had already carried out the operation. If Israel enters, it is falling into the trap, because what follows is a massacre”, says Agostinho Costa.
See also: On CNN, Hamas spokesperson accuses Biden of “falling into the Israel narrative”
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
