Israel develops detection system to counter Gaza tunnels

Israel is set to soon deploy a tunnel-detection system along the Gaza border after successful testing took place over the last several weeks.

The sophisticated network of tunnels developed by Hamas was a major feature of last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. Not only did the tunnels enable Hamas leaders and operatives to evade capture, but they were a launching pad for deadly attacks on Israelis.

11 Israeli soldiers died during the conflict in Israeli territory, having been ambushed by gunmen emerging from the tunnels, which also threatened civilians in Israel’s Gaza border communities.

Under the auspices of the Director of Research and Development in Israel’s Defence Ministry, Elbit Systems company has developed a system to protect against Hamas tunnel infiltration. The system uses a series of sensors, which detects activity. Information is then sent to a control room which analyses the data using algorithms to precisely identify the location of a tunnel. Pending a government budget, the system is set to be used across the entirety of Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip.

Alon Shuster, head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council which borders Gaza, was quoted by Ynet news as saying that although the IDF succeeded in destroying many of the tunnels last summer, “this advancement gives an additional layer of security for the residents.”

The tunnel-detection system has been developed at the same time as Hamas is reported to be accelerating its tunnel building.

Analyst Avi Issacharoff reported in the Times of Israel that Hamas is using heavy machinery and engineering tools to speed up the process. Britain’s daily The Telegraph reported earlier this month that Iran had transferred millions of pounds to enable Hamas to rebuild its underground network and replenish its rocket supplies.

A senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Haya told a rally last week, “Our men, our women, our children all envision kidnapping your [Israeli] soldiers and settlers, wherever they are,” describing such abductions as “our right.”

The Gaza-based Islamist organization has been using whatever cement it can get its hands on for the construction of the tunnels, and fortifying the walls of its underground structures with wood as well.

Security officials told The Times of Israel last month that Hamas has invested considerable effort in digging a new tunnel network within the coastal enclave, as well as several tunnels meant for eventual cross-border attacks.

The evidence of digging can be seen from the Israeli side of the border, and residents of frontier towns, like moshav Netiv Haasara, have documented the construction some several hundred meters from the border.

Amit Caspi of border Kibbutz Kerem Shalom – one of three communities that lie within a kilometre from Gaza – said the tunnels mostly threaten the residents’ morale. “We view it as an unsolvable threat, so if indeed there was a breakthrough, although we know there can be no total solution, it can greatly improve our personal security,” he said.

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