IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari on Saturday evening reported the discovery of a tunnel in Khan Yunis in which some of the hostages were held.
"The soldiers located, based on precise intelligence, the entry to a tunnel located in the home of a Hamas terrorist," Hagari said. "They entered the tunnel, found terrorists, and conducted a battle, at the end of which the terrorists were eliminated. The tunnel was laced with explosives and shock doors, which were intended to protect the terrorists and prevent the hostages from advancing."
"When we came into this tunnel, there were no hostages in it, but they had been in it in the past. After about a kilometer of walking in the tunnel, at a depth of 20 meters underground, the soldiers found the central room - which according to testimonies from hostages who returned - we understood that this was there they spent most of their time."
"We found evidence that proves the presence of the hostages, including drawings which Emilia Aloni, age 5, drew, together with other hostages. In the continuation of the tunnel, we located five narrow, barred jail cells, in each of which was a bathroom and mattress.
"According to the testimonies we have, in this tunnel about 20 hostages were held at various times, in harsh conditions, without daylight, in stuffy air, with little oxygen and horrible humidity which made it difficult to breathe. Some of them were released before about 50 days [had passed], and others are still being held in Gaza - and possibly in even harsher conditions," he concluded.
