Israeli forces conducted a surprising internal investigation Thursday into a key Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza after discovering evidence that some terrorist hostages were being held in deplorable conditions.
The tunnel was discovered by an IDF commando brigade and other special forces in Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, where fighting has been the most intense in recent weeks.
“After examining the tunnel, we can say that there were Israeli hostages inside,” the Israel Defense Forces said after DNA from some of the prisoners was discovered.
Major General Daniel Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces' chief spokesman, did not say what was found in the tunnel or what DNA was found.
He also did not identify the hostages pursued there or say whether they were believed to be alive, saying only that the hostages were being held in “difficult conditions.”
Video tour uploaded to social media shows an extensive underground tunnel system accessed via a ladder through an 8-foot shaft located in the “heart of the civilian area” of Khan Yunis.
The arched tunnel led to a long, dark staircase that led to multiple hallways and basements, one of which had trash and electrical wires strewn across the floor.
The tunnel system also had functioning plumbing, as evidenced by the presence of a small bathroom at the end of one of the hallways where the DNA sample was found.
The IDF added that the tunnel system was connected to various entrances in other civilian areas of Khan Yunis, where hundreds of thousands of refugees had gathered after the mass evacuation of northern Gaza earlier in the war.
One exit led to an apartment complex that had been largely destroyed in the fighting, and the other led to a civilian living space that was also in ruins.
Western media was also invited to tour the tunnel for the first time.
Brigadier General Dan Goldfuss, commander of the Israeli Army's 98th Division, said: He told CNN's Nick Robertson. The military said it had narrowed down the location of some of the hostages to underground tunnels in Khan Yunis.
Goldfuss said the goal was to destroy the man-made tunnel system to rescue hostages and remove Hamas' key advantage in the Gaza war, calling the underground mines a “720 degree threat.” .
“It's not 360 degrees, but it's 720 degrees underground and above ground,” Goldfuss said of the coverage provided by the tunnel.
Troops from the 98th Division continue to fight in other Hamas tunnel systems across Khan Yunis, and members of Yahalom's elite combat engineering unit are tasked with finding, researching, and destroying the 300-mile-long “Gaza Metro.” focusing.
Israel also believes senior Hamas officials, including Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, are hiding in tunnels beneath Khan Yunis.
The Israeli military claims that more than 300 tunnels have been discovered in recent days, with more than a third of underground passageways destroyed and unusable.
Despite these developments, the IDF has not been able to locate or free the more than 130 hostages still held by Hamas and its allies.
Israel said about 20 of the hostages were believed to have died and accused Hamas of not handing over their bodies for burial.
with post wire
