Hamas: Tunnels and Military Capabilities Unharmed and Ready to Use Against Israel

A Hamas leader stated that Hamas’s underground tunnels and munitions are still intact and ready for use against Israel.

During the recent conference of the International Islamic Forum of Parliamentarians, Khaled Mash'al said the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas demonstrated Israel to be "as weak as cobwebs" and had defeated Israel psychologically and militarily.

The Hamas leader stated that the defeat of Israel would "soon be completed," adding that after six weeks of fighting, Hamas’s tunnels and munitions are still intact and can still "maneuver, fire rockets and hit invading tanks."

"Israel has two strategic priorities—1) decimate Hamas, and 2) get its hostages out," said Len Khodorkovsky, former deputy assistant secretary of state for digital strategy and senior advisor to the United States special representative for Iran during the Trump administration.

"The extent to which Hamas’s tunnel infrastructure is still in place is a function of Israel's patient approach to achieving its second objective," he added.

Khodorkovsky just completed a trip to Israel where he toured the massacre sights. Khodorkovsky posed a picture of himself in a military hard hat on Instagram stating that he went to Israel to “see it, feel it and sense it for myself.”

Mash'al's words were echoed by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who repeated claims from Hamas leaders that the terrorist group has so far used only 10-12% of its military capabilities.

The Hamas leader also claimed that the kidnapping of Israeli civilians was not one of the goals of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

Despite Mash'al's claim, Israeli officials have found written instructions provided to Hamas fighters before the attack, which shows that they were ordered to kill and kidnap men, women, and children.

"There will come a time, either when all the hostages are free or when there's no longer hope of getting them out when Hamas’s tunnels—and Khaled Mashal—will cease to exist," Khodorkovsky told The Foreign Desk.