The Israel Defense Force could deploy the new handheld devices to negotiate Hamas’ labyrinthine tunnel system –and trap any hidden fighters in them once they launch their long-awaited ground invasion into Gaza, according to reports.
The sponge bombs consist of chemical compounds based around a liquid emulsion.
It can be thrown into a tunnel where it swiftly expands and hardens.
The device would leave Hamas fighters with no escape and allow Israeli commandos to secure safe routes to travel while searching for hostages.
Israeli troops may use a new secret “sponge bomb” to trap Hamas fighters in their tunnels and seal and block them off. REUTERSThe Hamas tunnels are believed to stretch for hundreds of miles underground, although the blockaded Gaza Strip itself is just 25 miles in length.
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The IDF has reportedly trained soldiers to use the sponge bombs at the Israeli military’s “mini Gaza,” a mock-up of the underground tunnel system constructed at the Urban Warfare Training Center in the Negev desert.
The bombs feature a barrier that keeps two volatile liquids separate.
An extensive labyrinth of tunnels built by Hamas stretches across the dense neighborhoods of the Gaza Strip, hiding militants, their missile arsenal, and the over 200 hostages they took during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel. APWhen it is removed, the liquids combine and immediately react.
The dangerous material left some Israeli soldiers blinded during training, according to reports.
It’s not the first time foam or slime was considered for military use — American soldiers used foam as a non-lethal tactic against rioters in Somalia.
