The Israeli army admitted on Tuesday that it had flooded Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip, one of the main tactical objectives of the war, AFP reported.

Israeli forces, which have been waging a violent war in the cities for months, regularly explain that they are fighting the enemy above and below ground, forcing them to access their network to hunt down the Palestinian Islamist movement.

“Large volumes of water” are being directed into the tunnels, the military said in a statement, as part of a “set of tools deployed (…) to neutralize the network threat.”

The maze of tunnels, dubbed the “Gaza Metro” by Israel, was originally used to circumvent the blockade imposed by Israel after the movement seized power in the territory in 2007.

Tunnels were dug under Egypt’s Sinai border to transport people, goods and weapons between Gaza and the outside world.

But since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, the movement has expanded the network from which its fighters can emerge to launch rockets into Israel before retreating into hiding.

In a study conducted in October, the Institute of the US Military Academy West Point mentioned 1,300 galleries within a distance of 500 km.

• On the same topic: VIDEO. What the “biggest tunnel” dug by Hamas under the Gaza Strip looks like and discovered by the Israeli army

What is Gaza Metro?

Dubbed the “Gaza Metro” by the Israeli military, the maze of tunnels was first used to circumvent the Israeli blockade after Hamas seized power in the territory in 2007.

Hundreds of tunnels are dug under Egypt’s Sinai border to transport people, goods, weapons and ammunition between Gaza and the outside world.

In an analysis published in October, the Institute of Modern Warfare at the US military academy West Point mentions 1,300 galleries more than 500 kilometers away.

Dubbed the “Gaza Metro” by the Israeli military, the maze of tunnels was first used to circumvent the Israeli blockade after Hamas seized power in the territory in 2007.

Hundreds of tunnels are dug under Egypt’s Sinai border to transport people, goods, weapons and ammunition between Gaza and the outside world.

In an analysis published in October, the Institute of Modern Warfare at the US military academy West Point mentions 1,300 galleries more than 500 kilometers away.

The Hamas tunnels, some of which were built decades ago, are no longer just shelters, but an integral part of a larger plan to prepare the ground for an ambush by Israeli forces above, The Telegraph notes.

Many of them lie beneath civilian structures, with entry and exit points in homes and other non-military buildings, making it extremely difficult for Israel to attack them without international condemnation, the British publication explained.

A “standard” tunnel is about 2 meters high and 1 meter wide, which allows them to be built quickly. Sometimes they are strengthened with concrete and metal structures, but they are not particularly complex.

However, others have electricity, water and ventilation and are used as command centers and rest stations, to store weapons, to infiltrate Israel and as routes to secret rocket launch sites.

It is believed that in some places there is even a small railway system for transporting weapons and construction equipment.

The last major attempt to take down the system was during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, but the network has since been restored.

On the same topic:

• Israel’s new secret weapon to block Hamas tunnels
• “Gaza Metro”: A mysterious network of underground tunnels used by Hamas
• What did Hamas surprise Israeli and American intelligence? Telephone lines installed in the tunnels under Gaza to plan the attack
• Hamas guerrilla strategy against Israel: 1,300 tunnels in urban centers for 500 kilometers