The ultimate weapon to win the “tunnel war”? Israel is considering using “sponge bombs” to try to seal the Hamas tunnels dug in the basements of Gaza, according to the British daily The Telegraph. These “sponge bombs” do not actually contain any explosives but create, through a chemical reaction, “a sudden explosion of foam which expands quickly and then hardens,” reports the British newspaper. They would thus make it possible to block tunnel entrances or breaches from which Hamas fighters can emerge.
According to the Telegraph, this new weapon has been developed for several years by Israel, and IDF soldiers have been seen “deploying these devices during exercises in 2021”. “The army set up a fake tunnel system on the Tze’Elim military base, near the border with Gaza,” the daily added.
Since the start of the conflict, following the Hamas attack on October 7, Israel has sought by all means to destroy Hamas’ military infrastructures which were dug under the Gaza Strip. This underground network, described by the Modern War Institute at the American military academy West Point as an “underground nightmare”, would be made up of thousands of galleries. According to specialist estimates, these tunnels would extend over 300 to more than 500 kilometers and would be dug to a depth of 40 to 50 meters. They would also have been equipped with sophisticated means of communication, lighting and even ventilation.
A specialized Israeli unit was created to explore these tunnels using technological tools such as drones, sensors, thermal vision systems, etc. The Jewish state has attempted several times to destroy these facilities in recent years, by blowing them up or using bulldozers. In vain, Hamas has always managed to rebuild them. This time, “sponge bombs” could allow Israel to gain a significant military advantage. This “expanding foam-based foam system” would be capable of filling areas of several tens of cubic meters, so as to render the tunnels permanently unusable, according to the Telegraph.
These “bombs” are made up of two liquids contained in the same bag and which are separated by a metal partition. When they are thrown into the tunnels, the two products mix causing a chemical reaction. A tidal wave of foam then spreads before expanding and hardening so as to block the tunnel cavities. These liquids do not cause explosions and therefore limit collateral damage. They are also resistant to water and chemicals and non-flammable. Hamas would therefore have to drill to cross them.
However, Israel has not yet confirmed the use of these “sponge bombs”. The risk would, in fact, be to condemn the 240 hostages held by Hamas and who would be found in these tunnels, as well as the Palestinian civilian population taking refuge to protect themselves from the bombings.