And, the battle of all battles begins

And, the battle of all battles begins

The IDF believes the tunnels are also under Al Shaifa Hospital.

The goal of the Israeli soldiers is to enter the 500 km long network of tunnels located under Al-Shifa Hospital and Gaza City and destroy the terrorists who attacked Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis. But, that task is not at all easy, writes the Daily Mail.

Underground fighting is very deadly, especially when Israeli soldiers are fighting heavily armed Hamas terrorists who know every corner and have access to stockpiles of rockets, grenades and weapons.

The Daily Mail says Hamas has operated for years inside a complex network of tunnels under civilian buildings, some of which are dug more than 10 meters underground, and all of these passages could be mined or ambushed. This means that the Israeli military will have to rely on a variety of weapons and technology - such as "killer" drones, specially trained dogs and special bombs - to destroy the terrorists deep inside the tunnels.

But the first task of the Israeli forces is to determine exactly where the tunnels are located. Specialized combat engineers from the "Diamond" team will first try to find tunnels deep underground using radars and sonar. As soon as engineers equipped with drills find the entrances to the tunnels, under which the missile launch sites and command centers are located, they will try to disable or destroy them.

Israeli forces could use the so-called "bunker-buster" bombs, which penetrate deep into the ground before detonating, but would be fatal to civilians who sought shelter in the buildings above.

Also, Israeli troops may be planning to trap the terrorists with the help of innovative "sponge bombs" - although the IDF has never acknowledged the use of these weapons. These are bombs that contain special chemicals, after the explosion they create a thick, dark foam that quickly expands and hardens and closes holes or enters tunnels. This would block the tunnels and potentially trap the terrorists there, which would buy time for the teams that will later destroy the tunnels with explosives. After the tunnels are disabled, underground commandos called "Weasels" will descend into the narrow and dark tunnels armed with the TAR-21 "Tavor" assault rifle to free the hostages.

The soldiers, equipped with night vision goggles, will slowly move through the labyrinth of tunnels where they are also being waited for, by Hamas terrorists, armed to the teeth. But Israeli soldiers will have secret weapons - in the form of attack dogs and "assassin" drones - that will help them eliminate terrorists and detect all mined doors and tunnel passages before extracting the hostages.

The Israeli forces will also use the "Micro Tactical Ground Robot", which can overcome stairs and various closed spaces and at the same time disable explosive devices.

Behind those killer robots and drones will be Israeli commandos who are trained to fight in claustrophobic conditions - a key skill for navigating the vast network of tunnels.

"Weasel" commandos are usually introverts and have the ability to maintain "psychological distance from the situation". They will be accompanied by specially trained dogs from the "Oketz" unit, which have already helped eliminate Hamas terrorists.

Each of the dogs has its own tasks - some are trained to sniff out explosives and enter tunnels, and others to find and attack terrorists. There is a legitimate fear that Israeli troops underground could encounter hostages wearing bomb vests.

In addition, if Hamas terrorists feel they cannot escape, they may execute the hostages. Former UN senior adviser and one of the world's most experienced negotiators in hostage situations, Scott Walker says that such operations are among the most risky ones in general.

"The hostages will probably be dispersed in several places and it will be very unlikely that the Israeli forces will just go in and free the hostages in one move without significant losses - either hostages or their own people," he states.

Hamas forces are likely to act like guerilla fighters, whose familiarity with the tunnels means they could launch surprise "shoot-and-run" attacks, drawing IDF troops into traps.

Sam Cranny-Evans from the RUSI Institute also warned that Hamas fighters are likely to mine tunnels and plant improvised explosive devices to disable Israeli soldiers.

Hamas is also expected to mine all the tunnels, of which Hamas has a huge number and which Israel has been trying to discover and destroy for years. But to no avail.

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