Through a perfectly executed use of misdirection, IDF air and ground forces destroyed – in less than an hour – Hamas' underground network of tunnels, known in Gaza as the "Metro." The IDF employed unusually heavy firepower that included combined, synchronized bombings by 160 aircraft and IDF artillery.
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It is still unclear how many terrorists were killed in the "Metro" bombing, but apart from eliminating terrorist operatives and attacking terrorist infrastructure, the offensive is a major moral blow to Hamas' military wing and its leader – Mohammed Deif. The Metro was effectively his life's work, and in the years since Operative Protective Edge in 2014, over $1 billion and massive manpower has been invested in it. All that has now been for nothing.
Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Hamas spearheaded the Metro project in conjunction with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist factions in Gaza. It is a snarl of tunnels dug on the outskirts of eastern Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The purpose of the network was to enable Hamas and PIJ terrorists to stop a ground incursion by IDF forces, as well as to allow those operatives freedom of movement without being tracked and targeted from the air.
But the tunnel network wasn't only intended to be used to stop a ground operation and to wage underground guerrilla warfare. Hamas dug the tunnels so it could abduct as many live or dead IDF troops as possible, to be used as bargaining chips later on. What's more, Hamas even managed to use the tunnels to penetrate Israeli territory to attack IDF bases and western Negev civilian communities near the border fence.
In spite of the unceasing rocket fire on southern Israel and Hamas' ability to withstand IAF strikes, we can definitely say that Hamas, the PIJ, and other Palestinian terrorist organizations in Gaza have sustained enormous blows both above and below ground in this past week of fighting. Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar has watched his work in recent years to address civilian issues through Egyptian-brokered talks with Israel go up in smoke during Operation Guardian of the Walls, as well as seeing Hamas' underground tunnel network – the jewel in its crown – be destroyed in under an hour.
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