Hamas' tunnels and the legacy of Vietnam: Delving into the world of 'tunnel rats'

Israeli soldiers took cautious measures while advancing towards one of Hamas' tunnels, only to fall into a trap minutes later. Even the tunnel rats could not assist them in such a dire situation.

But what does the term "tunnel rats" symbolize? It might be thought of as rodents utilized in such wars, but it is, in fact, the name given to a military group composed of elements from various armies, led by the US Army, that fought in Vietnam from the mid-1960s to 1972.

Who are these soldiers, and why were they enlisted in the war? 

Their training started in the mid-sixties to fight in Vietnam, where the US was confronting the communists seeking to unify North and South Vietnam under their rule. 

The "tunnel rats" faced one of the toughest tasks: infiltrating the tunnels that were a crucial element of the Vietnamese communist guerrilla forces known as the Viet Cong.

In the Cu Chi region, they constructed tunnels over the years, stretching 250 kilometers with varying levels, utilized for combat, protecting fighters from US strikes, and smuggling weapons and supplies. 

While some parts expanded into medical units and training centers, others were so narrow that fighters could barely pass through.

Viet Cong elements would ambush US troops by leaping from these tunnels, and the Vietnamese turned tunnel entrances into deadly traps. Those who surpassed the entrances sometimes had to confront snakes, scorpions, and lethal gases.

The inability of regular military forces to withstand the tunnel threat led the US Army, in collaboration with the Australian Army, to select a few engineers, short in stature and slender in build, to train them in entering tunnels and eliminating Vietnamese fighters.

Around a third of the US unit, numbering 700, were either killed or wounded. After the war, as the Communists imposed their control and unified North and South Vietnam with the withdrawal of Americans, the once strategically vital tunnels turned into a prominent tourist destination.

Military capabilities have evolved since then, but tunnels remain formidable obstacles that even the most powerful armies fear drowning in.