Ben-Tzion Macales, an open-source intelligence analyst who worked on the project, speaks to Arutz Sheva about the process and the importance of mapping out Hamas’s tunnel network.
Honest Reporting, a pro-Israel media watchdog group, has developed an interactive map of Hamas terror tunnels.
Using open-source intelligence, the group has so far mapped out 37 miles, or 9%, of Hamas’s tunnel network under the Gaza Strip, including the tunnels and their various tunnel shafts.
The interactive map also shows points of interest such as religious sites, schools, and hospitals, as well as the locations of significant events such as the elimination of terrorists and the release of hostages. In addition, the map includes the sources of the information on the location of the tunnels,
Speaking with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Ben-Tzion Macales, an open-source intelligence analyst who worked on the project, explains the process by which they found the information to create such a map. “I looked at all the information published by the IDF Spokesman and on social media in Hebrew, where you can see infographics of the Hamas underground networks that the IDF Spokesman reported on. Another source was footage of tunnel openings, with which we could map out approximately where the tunnel shafts were, where the underground routes passed. On this basis, we created this map of the entire length of the strip.”
Macales notes that information that was not verifiable was not included in the map and reiterates: “Infographics and footage are really amazing sources for such a map.”
He says the map is important since it makes the information available to the public. “Since it’s a comprehensive map, with all the information that was made public about Hamas tunnels, it gives a much simpler look at the threat of these tunnels. Not only were the hostages held in these tunnels and the tunnels still endanger the forces on the ground, but they also run under schools, hospitals, and a UNRWA facility. You can see the cynical use of the civilian city above them for terrorism. This map comes to reflect that issue.”
