Subterranean Warfare: A New-Old Challenge
Yiftah S. Shapir and Gal Perel
Subterranean warfare is not new in human history. Tunnels, which have been
dug in all periods for various purposes, have usually been the weapon of the
weak against the strong and used for concealment. The time required to dig
tunnels means that they can be an important tool for local residents against
an enemy army unfamiliar with the terrain. Tunnels used for concealment
purposes (defensive tunnels) can be distinguished from tunnels used as a
route for moving from one place to another. The latter include smuggling
tunnels used to smuggle goods past borders (as in the Gaza Strip), escape
routes from prisons or detention camps, offensive tunnels to move forces
behind enemy lines, and booby-trapped tunnels planted with explosives
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Operation Protective Edge sharpened awareness of the strategic threat
posed by subterranean warfare. The IDF encountered the tunnel threat long
ago, and took action to attempt to cope with this threat, but the scope of
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as a strategic shock, if not a complete surprise, requiring comprehensive
reorganization to handle the problem. Some critics argued that an investigative
commission was necessary to search for the roots of the failure and punish
those to blame for it.
This article will review subterranean warfare before and during Operation
Protective Edge, and will assess the strategic effects of this mode of warfare.
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and the IDF and the Ministry of Defense have dealt with various aspects of
the phenomenon of subterranean warfare for many years. On rare occasions
