Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip
Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip
The Israeli military says it has found evidence that hostages were present in an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis.
A makeshift ladder led to the narrow underground pathway, about 2.5 meters (8 feet) below. The tunnel was hot and humid, with walls lined with concrete and electrical wires. Farther inside was a bathroom, where the military said it found evidence that hostages had been there, including their DNA.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The military showed the tunnel to journalists who were escorted into a neighborhood near the ruins of destroyed homes and streets.
Several hostages freed in a cease-fire deal in late November described being held inside tunnels, which Hamas has laid throughout the Gaza Strip and which Israel says have long been used to smuggle weapons and fighters throughout the blockaded territory.
Large mounds of dirt surrounded the area, apparently from Israeli bulldozers searching for buried explosives.
The beleaguered city, Gaza’s second-largest, has become the focus of Israel’s war on Hamas in recent weeks.
In its fierce Oct. 7 attack, Hamas and other militants killed 1,200 people and took hostage roughly 250, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has made freeing the hostages part of its war aims, along with crushing Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
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