The tunnels include 1,300 subway lines totaling about 500 km, some of which are up to 70 m underground, the newspaper stressed.

John Spencer, Director of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at the US Military Academy in West Point, warned that “the challenge in Gaza with the subway tunnels is unique.”

Spencer stated that there is no perfect solution for dealing with them ahead of the arrival of Israeli ground forces.

Experts stressed that these tunnels will further complicate an eventual Israeli invasion because they allow Palestinian militiamen to move from one to another safe location, Maariv warned.

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