The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it successfully neutralized a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza by flooding it with concrete, a tactic increasingly used to dismantle the group’s vast underground network.

The tunnels—long employed by Hamas for smuggling, weapons storage, and moving fighters or hostages—have been a central focus of Israeli operations since the war escalated in October 2023. The IDF said its latest operation demonstrates a shift toward permanently disabling these subterranean passages, rather than simply collapsing or sealing them.

Military analysts note that the approach represents a modern evolution of tunnel warfare. Historically, tunnels were used for surprise attacks or shelter, as seen in World War I and during the Vietnam War by the Viet Cong. In Gaza, however, the IDF’s use of concrete flooding reflects a strategy of infrastructure denial—making the tunnels unusable for future operations.

The IDF maintains that Hamas relies heavily on its underground network to sustain its military campaign, while critics argue that such operations risk collateral damage and highlight the difficulty of urban warfare in densely populated areas.

The neutralization of tunnels remains one of the IDF’s top priorities as fighting continues across Gaza.