IDF PREPARE TO STORM HAMAS' BOOBY-TRAPPED TUNNEL LABYRINTH

• The network is estimated to run to a total of 300 miles and is so extensive it has been described as a 'metro system' that is bigger than the London Underground.

• 85-year-old Israeli hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, released last month, said it 'looked like a spider's web'.

• For years, thousands of people in Gaza have found work in them, and tens of thousands more, from drivers to shopkeepers, have benefited from the work they provided.

• The tunnels range from narrow corridors of 6ft by 3ft to vast passageways that can take cars and even trucks.

• They are swaddled in concrete and well-lit; they contain command centres, ammunition depots and arms factories.

• They are used to launch attacks on Israel and also to smuggle in everything from vehicles to long-range weaponry.

"The biggest threat is to the Gazan population because all of these tunnel systems are covered by civilians. They are literally human shields." - Israeli Minister

"The Hamas terror machine is a network of tunnels under Gaza, primarily in urban areas. It is totally formidable. You cannot destroy Hamas's military machine without dealing with its subterranean terror network. That is why we sent our ground forces in." - Senior Israeli Official

"They have turned huge swathes of the Strip into legitimate military targets. These sons of b** have intentionally put their tunnels under houses, mosques and hospitals to maximise civilian casualties. It's not just cynical, it's pure evil." - Former Israeli Defense Official

(The Daily Mail)