JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Soldiers of the 98th Division located an underground tunnel in Khan Yunis in which hostages had been held. The length of the tunnel was about 830 meters and it was about 20 meters under ground level.
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The entrance to the tunnel was booby-trapped, and inside it there were many obstacles, explosives, sliding doors and blast-proof doors. While the soldiers were advancing through the tunnel, they encountered a number of terrorists. The soldiers fought against them and eliminated them. When the soldiers reached the tunnel, the hostages were already gone, as they had been moved to another location.
As part of the investigation of the tunnel, a central chamber where hostages were held and five barred prison cells were discovered. In addition, the soldiers located findings that indicated that hostages had been held there, intelligence information and weapons belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.
IDF documentation of terror tunnel in Khan Younis
According to testimonies, there were about 20 hostages in the tunnel at different times. Some were released and some are still being held in Gaza. DNA from one of the captives still being held was found in clothes in the tunnel.
Pictures drawn by 5 year-old Emilia Aloni found in tunnel. Emilia was released in prisoner exchange in November
Simulation of tunnel’s main fixtures as depicted by IDF
The tunnel was located in the heart of a civilian area in Khan Yunis, and the entrance was from the residence of a Hamas terrorist. According to intelligence estimates, millions of shekels were invested in the construction of the tunnel.
This tunnel was part of a branching underground network, dug by the Hamas terrorist organization, under Khan Yunis.
At the end of the examination, the tunnel was destroyed.