The anti-tunnel barrier along Israel-Gaza Strip border (sometimes referred to as the smart wall on the Israel-Gaza Strip border) is an underground

slurry wall A slurry wall is a civil engineering technique used to build reinforced concrete walls in areas of soft earth close to open water, or with a high groundwater table. This technique is typically used to build diaphragm (water-blocking) walls surro ...

constructed by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

along the entire length of the Israel-Gaza Strip border to prevent anti-Israel militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, especially

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...

(which Israel, along with other countries, regards as a terrorist group), from infiltration into Israel by digging

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s under the

Gaza–Israel barrier The Gaza–Israel barrier is a border barrier located on the Israeli side of the Gaza–Israel border. The Erez Crossing, in the north of the Gaza Strip, is the only crossing point for people and goods coming from Israel into Gaza; there exists ...

. The project includes excavation to classified depths, and the construction of thick

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

s combined with sensors and

alarm An alarm device is a mechanism that gives an audible, visual or other kind of alarm signal to alert someone to a problem or condition that requires urgent attention. Alphabetical musical instruments Etymology The word ''alarm'' comes from t ...

devices. The underground anti-tunnel barrier, and 81% of the barrier above the ground was completed in March 2021. The whole project was completed in December 2021. The project had been estimated to cost 3 billion

shekels Shekel or sheqel ( akk, 𒅆𒅗𒇻 ''šiqlu'' or ''siqlu,'' he, שקל, plural he, שקלים or shekels, Phoenician: ) is an ancient Mesopotamian coin, usually of silver. A shekel was first a unit of weight—very roughly —and became c ...

($833 million) to 3.5 billion shekels ($1.11 billion). It is located entirely on Israeli land.

Background

Because of the effectiveness of the Israel–Gaza barrier in stopping infiltration of Israel by Palestinian militants, Hamas adopted a strategy of digging tunnels under the barrier. On 25 June 2006, Palestinians used an 800-metre tunnel dug over a period of months to infiltrate Israel. They attacked a patrolling Israeli armored unit, killed two Israeli soldiers, and captured another one,

Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit ( he-a, גלעד שליט, Shalit.ogg, ''Gilˁad Šaliṭ'', born 28 August 1986) is a former MIA soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who on 25 June 2006, was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid via tu ...

. Between January and October 2013, three other tunnels were identified – two of which were packed with explosives. During the

2014 Gaza War The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge ( he, מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, translit=Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, ), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that ha ...

, Israel encountered Hamas militants who emerged from tunnels into Israel and attacked soldiers along the border. After the war, Israel located and destroyed 32 tunnels. In 2018, Israel destroyed three new tunnels.

Underground barrier

The anti-tunnel barrier was constructed in response to the large number of tunnels being dug by the Hamas regime, which could only be of use for infiltration by militants. In mid-2017, Israel began construction of the underground wall several meters in depth. The barrier is equipped with sensors that can detect tunnel construction. In October 2020, sensors in the underground structure identified a Hamas tunnel. An Israeli military official called the tunnel "The most significant tunnel we have seen to date, both in terms of depth and infrastructure".

References

{{coord missing, Israel Gaza Strip Border barriers Tunnel warfare Gaza–Israel conflict Borders of Israel Israel–Gaza Strip border

Background

Underground barrier

See also

References