IDF releases footage of Hamas tunnels where bodies of six hostages were found

The IDF releases footage showing inside the two tunnels where hostages Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Avraham Munder were held in the Gaza Strip.

An IDF investigation published today found that the six men, after being abducted, were taken to a central tunnel in Khan Younis where they were held until late December 2023.

The IDF reached that tunnel, which featured holding cells, in January. By then, the hostages had been moved to another tunnel under the Hamad Town residential complex in Khan Younis, around four kilometers away.

The hostages were being held in a narrow hidden passageway under Hamad Town that connected to a larger underground network.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press conference says that the tunnel “was not designed for a long stay, it is only 100 meters long, blocked on one side by sandbags and on the other side with a metal door.”

“Its height makes it difficult to stand in, and it is as wide as a mattress. It is cramped… it has no conditions for humans to live in,” he says.

The IDF’s investigation, which was presented to the families of the six today, found it was likely that the captives were shot by their captors as a result of airstrikes on February 14, and that even if they had not been shot, they would have likely died of suffocation or a similar cause, as the bombings sealed off the tunnel in which they were being held.

Hagari says that the strikes were around 100-120 meters away from where the hostages were being held captive.