The Israeli military at the end of a kilometer-long mined tunnel in the Gaza Strip found cramped cells in which Hamas was holding about 20 hostages. This was announced by military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, UNN reports .
Details
In the tunnel, in particular, found a detention area, five narrow rooms behind metal bars, toilets, mattresses, and even drawings of five-year-old Amelia Aloni, who was released during the November exchange.
At the time the tunnel was discovered, there were no hostages there.
Hagari said that the entrance to the tunnel was in the house of a Hamas member in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where Israel has focused its fight against the Palestinian Islamist group in recent weeks.
The military entered the tunnel, where they encountered terrorists and engaged in a battle that ended with the elimination of the latter
According to him, the tunnel was equipped with armored doors and explosives.
According to the spokesperson, according to their testimonies, about 20 hostages were held in this tunnel at different times in terrible conditions: without daylight, without access to fresh air and in severe humidity, which made breathing difficult.
Some of the hostages held there were released during a week-long ceasefire brokered by Qatar. Others are still among the more than 130 hostages taken during Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel.