The IDF released video footage on Tuesday evening of the tunnel where six hostages were killed in late August in Rafah, Gaza.
The tunnel shaft was discovered inside a child’s bedroom in Gaza. It extends 20 meters into the ground and connects to a 120-meter-long tunnel. This tunnel is narrow with low ceilings, no rooms, and has a metal door at its end.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated, “This is a ‘passage’ tunnel, not a ‘room’ tunnel. Standing up straight is impossible, and the humidity is extreme.”
“Here, we can see their blood on the floor. This is where their final moments occurred: Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Ori, Almog, and Alex. They were brutally murdered here.”
“It is extremely difficult to survive in such conditions. They were heroes, murdered in cold blood by terrorists who build tunnels beneath children’s bedrooms and hide with captives,” he added.
Hagari noted that the evidence is still being analysed and investigated. He presented some of the objects discovered within the tunnel, indicating the hostages’ extended confinement. Among the items found were bottles of urine, a makeshift bucket cesspool, women’s hygiene products, and various weapons, including Kalashnikov magazines and bullet casings.
Hagari stated: “We did not have intelligence information that would allow us to carry out a hostage rescue operation, and we did not know the precise location of the hostages in the tunnel that was located. They were murdered before we reached the location.”
“All the evidence inside the tunnel has been taken for investigation and examination. We are examining the materials and following every lead to track down the terrorists responsible for this heinous murder,” he added.
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters responded: “Tonight’s footage from the “Tunnel of Horrors” is shocking. It reveals the horrific conditions endured by Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, and Eden Yerushalmi – for 11 months. They were confined in narrow 1.5-meter tunnels, deep underground, deprived of air and sanitary conditions, and subjected to constant mental and physical abuse before their brutal execution.”
“There are 101 hostages still held in Gaza, enduring unimaginable suffering. Hungry, exhausted, and tortured, they cling to a single hope: that we will continue fighting for their freedom. They trust us to bring them home.”
Controversy on the deal
The killing of the hostages has been highly controversial as many political and defense officials believe they could have been saved in a hostage exchange deal as part of a ceasefire with Hamas if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not, in their mind, held off a deal in order to hold onto the Philadelphi Corridor in Rafah.
In addition, the IDF confirmed on Tuesday that the six hostages were killed by their Hamas captors on August 29, two days after the IDF rescued Israeli-Bedouin Qaid Farhan Alkadi on August 27 from a nearby tunnel.
The IDF said it does not know the exact time that the six hostages were killed on August 29.
The timing essentially confirms that the six hostages were killed in response to the rescue of Alkadi. However, it also likely disqualifies drawing any direct connection to the Israeli cabinet vote on keeping the Philadelphi Corridor in any hostage deal early Friday.
Further, the IDF said that it had found the bodies of terrorists nearby who might have been the killers of the hostages.
These terrorists were trying to escape the tunnel area above ground.
The IDF is analyzing the DNA of the terrorists as well as the DNA within the tunnel and relating to the hostages to see if there is a connection.
Currently, the IDF believes that two terrorists were involved in killing the hostages.
Based on the amount of food, bathroom facilities, mattresses, and the stock of weapons nearby, the IDF estimated that the hostages and their captors had been in the area for more than a week and possibly significantly longer.
Captives kept in cages
The IDF recalled that when it penetrated one of the largest tunnels where hostages had been kept in cages in Khan Yunis in January and later, those hostages were moved to other locations either in Khan Yunis or in Rafah.
Moreover, the IDF revealed that in order to find the six hostages’ bodies, it had to use a D-9 to break through a structure and then a mix of powerful hammers and drills to break through materials that Hamas had placed over the bodies to make it harder to discover them.
Also, the IDF said that it has tried to learn lessons from this and other incidents in which its operational activities may have endangered hostages so as to minimize such risks in the future while maintaining ongoing military pressure on Hamas.
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