Tue Sep 10 16:07:17 UTC 2024: ## IDF Releases Gruesome Footage of Tunnel Where Six Hostages Were Killed
**Gaza City** – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released video footage on Tuesday, revealing the horrifying conditions endured by six hostages killed in late August by Hamas militants. The tunnel, dubbed “The Tunnel of Horrors” by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, was discovered inside a child’s bedroom in Gaza and extends 20 meters underground, connecting to a 120-meter-long passage.
The footage depicts the cramped, dark, and humid tunnel, barely large enough to stand upright. “This is a ‘passage’ tunnel, not a ‘room’ tunnel,” IDF Spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari stated. “Standing up straight is impossible, and the humidity is extreme.”
The video, showing bloodstains on the floor, confirms the brutal execution of the hostages: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, and Alex Lobanov.
“They were heroes, coldly murdered by terrorists who build tunnels beneath children’s bedrooms and hide with captives,” Hagari added.
The IDF found various objects inside the tunnel, including bottles of urine, a makeshift toilet, women’s hygiene products, and weapons such as Kalashnikov magazines and bullet shells, indicating the hostages’ prolonged captivity.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called the footage “shocking,” highlighting the horrific conditions endured by the hostages 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,” the forum stated.
The IDF confirmed that the six hostages were killed by their Hamas captors on August 29, two days after the IDF rescued Israeli-Bedouin Qaid Farhan Alkadi from a nearby tunnel. The timing suggests the killings were a retaliatory act for Alkadi’s rescue.
The IDF is analyzing DNA samples to confirm the identity of the terrorists involved and is investigating whether the hostages’ deaths are directly connected to the Israeli cabinet vote on keeping the Philadelphi Corridor in any hostage deal.
The IDF is reviewing its operations to minimize the risk of endangering hostages in future operations while maintaining military pressure on Hamas. The discovery of the tunnel and the deaths of the hostages highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the complex challenges facing both sides in achieving a lasting peace.
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