How Israel Turned Gaza’s Tunnels Against Hamas | John Spencer on the Tikvah Podcast

Gaza is approximately 140 square miles, yet there are at least 600 miles of tunnels below its terrain. Before the war began, there were likely more tunnels in Gaza than there were roads. But it’s not just the density of Gaza’s tunnels that is unprecedented. For the first time in history, a military force built its entire strategy around its subterranean defenses, deliberately constructing tunnels beneath civilian infrastructure—schools, hospitals, homes—not to protect civilians, but to use them as human shields. This wasn’t merely a tactical decision; it was the primary means by which Hamas intended to achieve its goals. John Spencer, a leading expert on urban warfare and military history, joins the Tikvah Podcast to discuss this unprecedented military challenge. Spencer holds the chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and is the co-director of the Urban Warfare Project. He has visited Gaza six times since October 7, studying these tunnels firsthand and speaking with the Israeli commanders who’ve had to fight in them. He walks through how Israeli forces had to completely reimagine combat operations, fighting simultaneously above and below ground, and describes the psychological demands of entering these claustrophobic passages, where every corner could mean death. Spencer also addresses the critical question facing Israel now: what do you do with hundreds of miles of tunnels during a fragile ceasefire, and how do you prevent Hamas from simply rebuilding this strategic asset? 00:00 Intro 03:27 Understanding the Tunnels of Gaza 12:22 The IDF's Response to Tunnel Warfare 15:29 Psychological and Tactical Challenges of Subterranean Warfare 18:20 Innovations in Tunnel Warfare Tactics 36:39 Understanding the Tactical Advantage of Tunnels 44:29 Changing Military Strategy: From Defense to Offense 52:26 How to Neutralize the Tunnel Threat 56:56 Lessons Learned: Future Military Strategies and Tactics -- 👉 Subscribe to Tikvah's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/CvNZC4i ➡️ Get the latest Tikvah content in your email inbox: https://tinyurl.com/4w8tjmvv 📖 Explore Tikvah's online content: https://ideas.tikvah.org