Gaza’s Subterranean Warfare: Palestinian Resistance Tunnels vs. Israel’s Military Strategy

Figures & data

Figure 1. Offensive tunnel scheme discovered by Israel near kibbutz ein HaShlosha in 2013.⁵¹

Table 1. Military tunnels in the Gaza Strip.⁶⁰

Type	Location	Description	Uses
Offensive	Border areas and cross-border	Hidden ambush with multiple exits	Executing infiltration operations and kidnapping soldiers
Defensive	Inside Gaza	Tens of exits divert from it	Confronting ground invasions and executing operations behind enemy lines
Missile Launcher	Inside Gaza	a pit with a movable steel cover contains a mortar and a missile launcher connected from the inside with another tunnel, enabling guidance, ammunition supplies, and maintenance	Firing rockets and ammunition when fighters are unable to navigate due to aerial bombing and oversight by reconnaissance planes
Internal Supply	Inside Gaza	Connected to offensive, defensive, and missile tunnels	Storing and transferring ammunition and supplies
External Supply	Cross-border	Extending from southern Gaza into Egypt	Smuggling weapons, ammunition, cars, and manufacturing materials into the Gaza Strip
Command and Control	Inside Gaza	Spacious chambers containing communication and living essentials	contains command centers to control military operations considered as shelters to command Palestinian armed fighters that are threatened of being assassinated during wars hiding enemy’s prisoners
Navigation	Inside Gaza	A short tunnel connecting nearby areas	Navigation of fighters between different areas during wars away from being detected

Table 2. Techniques used by Israel to detect and locate tunnels.⁹¹

Technique	Limitation(s)
Radar for exploring the underground in limited depths	Deep tunnels remain undiscovered Ineffective with mixed grounds (sand, clay, rocks) Interrupted by walls or leftovers underground
Geophones to detect digging sounds	Ineffective with completed tunnels
Controlled detonation to generate echo (a technique used in the oil industry)	Ineffective because it is used in the oil industry to look up something deeper and more different
Traditional seismic sensor devices	Vibrations from road traffic and heavy agricultural equipment interfere with narrowband seismic techniques Only target tunnels that are 20–30 meters deep Ineffective with sand, which disperse digging sounds
Magenta Hair	Requires the pre-discovery of a tunnel exit Not practical if other tunnel exits are not open or nearby

Table 3. Techniques used by Israel to destroy/ neutralize tunnels.¹⁰⁰

Technique	Limitation(s)
Bunker Busters	Ineffective with tunnels that exceed 30 meters in depth. Destroys parts of the tunnel vertically, which does not necessarily neutralize the tunnel, especially those with multiple routes and exits
Thermobaric Bomb	Considered as an internationally-banned weapon Not suitable to use under the water or in bad weather conditions Its effectiveness decreases when thrown from a high height
Kinetic Drilling	Difficult to adjust ammunition so that it explodes at the suitable depth The resulting debris complicates efforts to discover tunnels
“Emulsa” Explosives	Requires a great amount of jelly substance “Emulsa” Required ground forces to secure tunnels for a long period
Water Dumping	Ineffective with advanced concrete tunnels Requires a large amount of water Requires a great deal of time
Sponge Bomb	Does not destroy the tunnels but blocks its exit Ineffective with tunnels of multiple entrances and exits Accompanied with risks.