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Troops of the Israel Defense Forces operating in the southern Gaza Strip recently uncovered a tunnel where Israeli hostages had been held by the Hamas terror group “in harsh and inhumane conditions,” the military revealed Saturday night. In a press conference, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that by means of “precise intelligence,” soldiers had found an entrance to the vast tunnel network beneath the home of a Hamas commander in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. He said troops battled Hamas gunmen as they first entered the tunnel, killing them. “The tunnel was rigged with explosives and blast doors designed to protect the terrorists and prevent the advancement in finding our hostages,” Hagari said. “After walking about a kilometer in the tunnel, at a depth of about 20 meters underground, the soldiers found a central chamber where, according to testimonies of hostages who returned from Gaza, we understand that they spent most of their time,” he said. No hostages were found in the tunnel when the troops arrived. Some hostages previously held in the tunnel have already been released, he said, noting that the soldiers found drawings made by five-year-old Emilia Aloni, who was freed in November, among other evidence. Hagari said that further into the tunnel, troops found five narrow holding cells, each with a mattress and a toilet. “According to the testimonies we have, about 20 hostages were held in this tunnel at different times under harsh conditions without daylight, in dense air with little oxygen, and terrible humidity that makes breathing difficult,” he said. “Some of them were released about 50 days ago, and some are still held in Gaza and may be under even harsher conditions, including very elderly people who need medication and help,” Hagari added. The IDF said that as troops advanced in the tunnel, they encountered several Hamas gunmen, who were killed following a gun battle. The IDF said the hostages held in the tunnel were likely moved by Hamas to another area when troops arrived and raided the underground network. Citing intelligence assessments, the IDF said Hamas invested millions of dollars in building the tunnel. The tunnel, before it was destroyed, was shown on Friday to reporters from foreign media outlets, “to show the world evidence that must not be forgotten. Hamas committed and continues to commit crimes against humanity, holding innocent people, children, women, men, some sick, very elderly people, in harsh and inhumane conditions,” Hagari said. He said the IDF was “working in every way” to bring the hostages home. “Our operational activity combines technology, special units, special means, and intelligence — intelligence that we are constantly searching for and refining,” he said. War erupted after Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern communities, massacring some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 240 others. Israel then launched a massive military operation aimed at vanquishing Hamas and freeing the hostages. It is believed that 132 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 27 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown. Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively. According to a Tuesday report, senior Israeli defense officials now assess that Hamas’s Gaza tunnel network is 350-450 miles long, far longer than previously believed. The estimate reported by The New York Times is markedly higher than an Israel Defense Forces’ assessment last month that there are some 250 miles of Hamas tunnels under the Gaza Strip, and is remarkable given the enclave is only some 140 square miles in total. The newspaper quoted Israeli intelligence officials estimating there are around 100 miles of tunnels under Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where IDF troops are engaged in intensive fighting as they search for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other terror commanders believed to be hiding underground. This is the second time this month that the military has said it found a tunnel where hostages had been held. On January 10 it showed another Khan Younis tunnel to journalists.
