Hamas Terrorists have claimed its tunnel system is designed to withstand floods because the underground network is flood-proof.
This is coming after Israel built a system of large pumps to flood Hamas’ complex network of tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip with seawater.
‘The tunnels were built by well-trained and educated engineers who considered all possible attacks from the occupation, including pumping water,’ Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan asserted.
He went on to declare that negotiations for the further release of Israeli hostages can only begin following a complete cessation of hostilities in Gaza by the IDF.
The statement came as Israeli officials confirmed their troops had recovered three more bodies of hostages seized by Hamas in their ruthless October 7 attacks.
The victims were identified as Elia Toledano, 28, Cpl. Nik Beizer, 19, and Sgt. Ron Sherman, 19.
Toledano, a French-Israeli, was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
He was among an estimated 240 people taken hostage during the Hamas attacks on Israel, which were the deadliest in the country’s history.
Toledano was attending the Nova music festival along with friend and fellow French-Israeli Mia Schem, who was released under a truce agreement at the end of November.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna expressed deep sadness over Toledano’s death, confirmed by the IDF and corroborated by medical officials, military rabbis, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
‘We share the grief of his family and loved ones. The release of all hostages is our priority,’ she wrote on X.
According to the Israeli military, 132 of the hostages taken to Gaza are still being held.
The Israeli military began pumping seawater into Hamas’ network of tunnels across the Gaza Strip for the first time earlier this week, according to a report, as it aims to flush the terrorists out of their underground lair.
Israel is said to have installed at least five pumps about a mile from the Al-Shati refugee camp in the north of the coastal enclave that could move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, flooding 300 miles of tunnels.
Asked about the report, the IDF’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi appeared to to confirm the news, telling a press conference that employing water pumps to make tunnels inoperable would be a ‘good idea’.
