Since the beginning of "The Al-Aqsa Deluge," attention has been drawn to the tunnels in Gaza and what surprises they hold for Israel, following the surprise of the deluge. However, Israel’s focus is not solely on these tunnels, but also on the gas fields in the waters off Gaza. It is likely that these fields are one of the main reasons for Israel's desperate attempt to control the region, the systematic destruction of both people and infrastructure, and the intent to empty the area of its residents, revealing the non-military but rather economic goals of the war.
Israeli ambitions regarding Gaza gas date back to the discovery of the "Gaza Marine" field, a natural gas field off the coast of the Gaza Strip, approximately 36 kilometers from shore and at a depth of 610 meters. It was discovered in 2000 by the British Gas Group (BG). The British company estimated the gas quantity in the waters off Gaza to be around 1.4 trillion cubic feet, enough to supply Gaza and the West Bank for 15 years at current consumption rates.
Israel had announced on June 18, four months before the deluge operation, its intention to work with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to facilitate the extraction of gas from the shores of Gaza. Although it is legally under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority due to the Oslo Accords, Israeli forces have prevented Palestinians from accessing the maritime area and its resources.
