Israel Releases Video of Cramped, Bloody Tunnel Where Hostages Were Held and Killed, Reports Reuters

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A video released by the Israeli military shows a grim scene within a dark, narrow tunnel where it claims six hostages were held and killed by Hamas. Evidence of violence within this passageway includes blood on the ground, bullet casings, and a chess set.

This footage, captured last Friday as a forensic team investigated the hostage deaths, was made public on Tuesday after being shown to the victims’ families and the Israeli security cabinet. According to spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the six hostages were killed on the night of August 29. Israeli soldiers discovered and recovered their bodies from the southern Gaza area of Rafah about two days later.

Hagari indicated that at least two Hamas gunmen were responsible for the murders, which took place 20 meters (66 feet) underground in a tunnel that is roughly 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) high and 80 centimeters (32 inches) wide. This tunnel has an exit shaft used by militants, located beneath a children’s room in a house.

The hostages may have been confined in this dank and claustrophobic environment for an extended period, possibly several weeks, complicating their situation due to poor air quality and limited space.

The video features items such as Kalashnikov rifle magazines, bags filled with urine, and a makeshift toilet. Women’s clothing is scattered across the floor, and a chess set is visible. However, Reuters has not independently verified the video’s location or filming date.

According to Hagari, Israeli troops were engaged in combat with Hamas fighters above ground during the time the hostages were killed, and there was no active rescue operation being conducted. He noted that the military lacked specific and confirmed intelligence regarding the hostages’ location at that time.

The deceased hostages included two women and four men, aged between 23 and 40, five of whom were taken from the Nova dance festival that was attacked by militants on October 7 of the previous year. One victim was a father whose child was born after he was abducted. These killings have ignited widespread outrage and sorrow within Israel.

Negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, which would involve the release of hostages, have stalled, with both Israel and Hamas exchanging blame for the impasse. Recent mass protests have called on Israeli leaders to take more decisive action for the hostages’ release.

Hamas militants took approximately 250 foreign and Israeli hostages during their unexpected incursion into Israel on October 7, which also resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, according to Israeli reports. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians.

Currently, around 100 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, with at least one-third thought to be dead. In November, over 100 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and eight others have been rescued by Israeli forces.