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Cpl Charles Patchin, 23, a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, searching a Viet Cong tunnel. Photo: Bettmann Archive
An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel beneath Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. Reuters
Episode 2676 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the parallels between tunnel warfare in Vietnam and the Gaza Strip. The featured story appeared on The National News website and was titled: As Israel floods Gaza tunnels, lessons from Vietnam war point to long underground struggle. It was submitted by Robert Tollast. He joined The National as Assistant Foreign Editor in 2020. Prior to this, he worked as a political and security risk analyst with NAMEA Group, focused on the Middle East, and with the Iraq Energy Institute think tank. Since 2011 he has written about Iraq for a variety of publications including Foreign Affairs and USA Today.
In his story, the author discusses the differences and similarities of tunnel warfare in the American Vietnam War and the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip against Hama subhuman fighters. He reported that Israel is pumping thousands litres of Mediterranean seawater into Hamas tunnels in Gaza, sparking concerns that hostages who may be held underground could be at risk.
According to Hamas, 500km of warren-like structures – known as the “Gaza metro” – have been built. Other estimates put the length of the complex at about 250km.
It is not the first time the tunnels have been partly flooded. Egypt used the tactic in 2015 to destroy tunnels used for smuggling on its border.
More than 50 years ago, the Vietnam war included a gruesome struggle by the US and allies against tunnel complexes spanning hundreds of kilometres used by Viet Cong fighters.
Like Israel has in Gaza, US forces in Vietnam used bombs with delayed fuses that burrowed into earth, creating shockwaves to crush the structures. But the tunnels continued to frustrate US offensives.
Listen to episode 2676 and discover more about the parallels between tunnel warfare in Vietnam and the Gaza Strip.
