Israel has begun the process of flooding the network of tunnels beneath Gaza in an effort to flush out the impacted Hamas assets lodged there, according to U.S. officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The Israeli military operation has so far involved the installation of seven massive pumps and testing the process of flooding the Hamas holes with water from the Mediterranean Sea, and now the great enema has begun in earnest.
"Israeli officials say that Hamas’s underground system has been key to its operations on the battlefield," explains WSJ. "The tunnel system, they say, is used by Hamas to maneuver fighters across the battlefield and store the group’s rockets and munitions, and enables the group’s leaders to command and control their forces. Israel also believes some hostages are being held inside tunnels."
The tunnel system has been dug throughout much of Gaza and is also active at the Egyptian border, the crossing at which Hamas militants smuggle many of their weapons into Gaza. It is a critical infrastructure for the terrorists' ability to continue to wage their bloody war against the only democracy in the region. Remove the network of tunnels from the table, and you severely cripple that ability.
Israel has been struggling to disable Hamas's underground system, trying everything from directed bombings to drones to releasing dogs into the tunnels. The IDF rightly balks at sending troops underground, where they would basically forfeit every fighting advantage and be easy pickings for booby traps and ambushes.
Related: What to Do With the Terrorists?
Overall, the stalwart Middle Eastern democracy has been making steady progress:
Israel’s forces have encircled Jabalia in northern Gaza and the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, where it says Hamas keeps some of its fiercest fighters. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday evening that northern Gaza was at its “breaking point” and that Hamas was “on the verge of collapse” there.
But even in the areas that Israel controls, “the subterranean [theater] continues to be the challenge," the Journal quotes retired Israeli military intelligence colonel Miri Eisin as saying. Simply put: the tunnels must go.
That Operation Enema might prove to be an effective tactic is evidenced by the handwringing already in progress.
"In reported recordings between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and released hostages and their families leaked last week, Israelis angrily told Netanyahu that they feared flooding the tunnels would kill their loved ones," reports WSJ.
One hopes that, as they evacuate themselves from the rising water, the monsters of Hamas will take their hostages with them. Hostages aren't much use if they're already dead, after all. Or if they really wanted the attack to end, they could simply release the hostages and come to terms with Israel.
"Some Biden administration officials have been concerned that using seawater might not be effective and could endanger Gaza’s freshwater supply," frets the WSJ. "Egypt in 2015 used seawater to flood tunnels operated by smugglers under the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, prompting complaints from nearby farmers about damaged crops."
It would be very sad if the Gazan farmers had a bad year or two. Again, they should feel free to ask their pals in Hamas to release the hostages and stop kicking the hornets' nest.
The WSJ article is also peppered with gratuitous images of destroyed buildings and grieving Gazans along with one or two images of tunnels. And to be sure, no one with a heart ever wants to see other human beings getting hurt, killed, pulverized, or impoverished, yet these miseries are non-severable features of war.
The globalists of the UN and the Biden administration seem to want Israel to defend itself without causing any harm to any non-combatant or the environment, which is of course impossible. Israel needs to ignore their handwringing and sternly worded statements and do what it has to do. And if flushing out the Hamas-filled sewers beneath the Gaza Strip will help in that effort, then Israel should siphon up the sea and expel a cleansing tsunami into those tunnels forthwith.
Prime the pumps for victory
And flush Hamas into the sea!
Don't get distracted by globalist pantywaist whining, Israel. You go ahead and flush that turd. Flush it hard, and don't forget to jiggle the handle.
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