(NewsNation) — Israel’s military has released a new video showcasing what it claims is one of the Hamas tunnels used for holding hostages.
The footage reveals narrow passageways, rooms with mattresses, workspaces, and kitchen areas with pots and pans. Israeli officials state that approximately 20 hostages were kept in these facilities.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) revealed a Hamas tunnel in the heart of a civilian area in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. The 830-meter-long and 20-meter-deep tunnel was allegedly used by Hamas to hold hostages.
Soldiers from the IDF faced a series of challenges, including fighting and neutralizing terrorists, navigating booby traps, explosives, and blast doors before reaching the hostage living quarters. Once inside, they discovered five narrow rooms behind metal bars, toilets, and drawings by child hostages who were freed during a previous truce in November.
The tunnel’s entrance, according to the IDF, was located in the residence of a Hamas member. The hostages were allegedly held under harsh conditions, deprived of daylight, with little oxygen and high humidity.
A senior IDF admiral described the difficult conditions the hostages endured and emphasized the necessity of military pressure to combat such situations. The IDF successfully destroyed the tunnel and continues its efforts to locate and rescue more hostages held by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, stating, “We are continuing the war on all fronts. We are not giving immunity to any terrorist. Regarding our hostages, we have returned home 110 of our hostages, and we are obligated to returning all of them. This is one of the goals of the war, and the military pressure is a necessary condition to achieving it.”
While the video above was given out by IDF, NewsNation toured a different tunnel earlier in January. That tunnel went from a quarter mile west of the Israel border to the heart of Gaza.