The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting unnamed American officials, that the Israeli occupation army began pumping seawater into what it called the "tunnel complex" of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza. It added that the operation is likely to take weeks.

The newspaper explained that "some Biden administration officials say that the operation may help destroy the tunnels that Israel believes the Palestinian movement is hiding detainees, fighters, and ammunition inside."

The newspaper also mentioned that other officials expressed concerns that the seawater could endanger the fresh water supplies in Gaza.

The occupation army did not immediately comment on the report. A spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal had previously quoted American officials as saying that the occupation had established a large pumping system that could be used to flood the tunnels used by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) beneath the Gaza Strip in an attempt to force its fighters out.

The report stated that around mid-November, the Israeli army completed positioning at least five pumps about a mile north of the Beach refugee camp, capable of transferring thousands of cubic meters of water per hour and flooding the tunnels within weeks.

The report also indicated that it was unclear whether Israel would consider using the pumps before releasing all the hostages.

Hamas had earlier said it had hidden hostages in "safe places and tunnels." Reuters was unable to verify the details of the report.

The Wall Street Journal said that an official in the Israeli occupation army refrained from commenting on the tunnel flooding plan, but was quoted as saying: "The Israeli Defense Forces are working to dismantle Hamas's terrorist capabilities in different ways, using various military and technological tools."

The newspaper also reported that Israel informed the United States of this option for the first time last month, stating that officials do not know how close Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is to implementing the plan. Officials were quoted saying that Israel has not made a final decision to proceed with or exclude the plan.