I know there must be someone on here who used to blow things up for a living.
I am looking at pictures / videos of the tunnel network hamas is using.
It appears to be pretty large and complicated.
Would the IDF use explosives to blow the whole network up?
It seems like that would take tons of explosives or would they secure the area with regular forces and use heavy machinery to destroy the tunnels?
Would it be necessary to destroy the network completely or would it be OK to just take out the entrances and connections between tunnels?
As an old squid who is very ignorant of such things I do find the problem fascinating and would be interested in relevant comments.

First of all they probably need to know who/what is in those tunnels. Blowing up a bunch of hostages is a bad idea, as may be blowing up a bunch of concealed explosives or chemical weapons. 2nd they need to find the exit points for the discovered tunnels, blowing up an entrance while the bad guys exit out the back door doesn't do much. In Vietnam there was a tunnel complex on a hill overlooking Nha Trang that the SVN were having trouble clearing. They turned the job over to the South Koreans who stuck stovepipe in the tunnels and pumped CS gas in, as the VC came scampering out they shot everyone who wasn't an officer. Knowing the SK's those captured officer's would rather have been shot. In any instance the Israeli's need to keep the media away if they want to be effective.

In reply to OldArmyCT Thanks for the reply. The whole thing just sounds like it's immensely complicated and dangerous. I don't envy anyone who has to do that, or anyone who has had to do it in the past. Those tunnels apparently took decades to build, and it sounds like it might take years to make sure they are no longer a threat.

cover entrances, bomb from air ,starve, wait them out- a few days for them to surrender! Easy!

In reply to BigJim49 AustinNowDallas Unless they care about the hostages. If they want to write off the hostages that greatly simplifies it.

Good chance that any hostages being kept in the tunnels will have a high mortality rate. As cold as it sounds….it is more important to bring this war action to an end as soon as it can be. Trying to negotiate hostages will take weeks.

In reply to FCBlitz I agree, the best military thing might be to blow up sections of the tunnels to limit movement in the overall tunnel network. Then attack each isolated segment until its cleared, then totally destroy that segment, rinse, repeat until all the tunnels they can find are totally destroyed, Make Hamas start from ground zero if they want to use tunnels again.
I am guessing Israel would be willing to write off their hostages, but if any American hostages are killed that might be a reason for the US to reduce or kill military aid to them.
Seems like a tough military and political problem all around.

Saw this suggestion a few weeks ago about pumping water from the nearby sea and flood the tunnels. Hostages would be a concern but probably not much hope after this long. Flooding would ruin almost anything in there and may cause enough damage and require to start over.

In reply to Texags84

Texags84 said:

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Saw this suggestion a few weeks ago about pumping water from the nearby sea and flood the tunnels. Hostages would be a concern but probably not much hope after this long. Flooding would ruin almost anything in there and may cause enough damage and require to start over.

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Optics of flooding "bomb shelters" and knowingly killing their own hostages might be too much for Bibi.

But yeah, I agree that most of the hostages will not survive this war.

Fuel-Air bomb would do the trick. Pump the stuff in and ignite.

Not sure this weapon is still used.