JERUSALEM, Sept 10 (Askume) – A video released by the Israeli military shows a dark, narrow tunnel blocked by iron gates with blood stains, bullets and chess pieces on the floor. The video also shows Hamas taking and killing six hostages in an underground tunnel.
Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the footage was taken by the military on Friday as a forensics team was investigating the hostage’s death. The document was released to the public on Tuesday after being viewed by the hostages’ families and Israel’s security cabinet.
Hagari said six hostages were killed on the night of August 29. Their bodies were found two days later by Israeli troops in Gaza, south of Rafah.
Hagali said at least two Hamas gunmen opened fire on them in the tunnel, which is 20 metres (66 feet) underground, less than 170 centimetres (5.6 feet) high and about 80 centimetres (32 feet) inches wide. It contained a ventilation shaft used by the militants and was located beneath the children’s room in the house.
Hagari said the hostages could be held for some time, possibly weeks, in damp tunnels where they would have difficulty breathing or standing upright.
The English version of the film shows a Kalashnikov rifle magazine, a bag filled with plastic bottles of urine and a bucket in the hole used as a toilet. The woman’s clothes were scattered across the floor. The Hebrew version of the live broadcast on an Israeli TV channel also showed chess.
Askume could not independently confirm the location or date the video was filmed.
Hagali said the hostages were killed when Israeli troops were engaged in ground combat with Hamas militants in the area. He added that the soldiers were not trying to conduct a rescue operation. He said the army had no accurate, verified intelligence about the presence of the hostages in the area.
The six hostages killed included two women and four men, aged between 23 and 40. Five of the hostages were rescued at the Nova Dance Festival, which was attacked by terrorists on October 7 last year. One of them is a father whose child was born after the hostages were taken. The killings sparked outrage and grief in Israel.
Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, including an agreement to release the hostages, have failed, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the impasse. Massive protests last week demanded that Israeli leaders do more to secure the hostages’ release.
According to Israeli sources, on October 7, terrorists led by Hamas entered Israel, took about 250 foreigners and Israelis hostage and killed 1,200 people. Since then, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
There are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, at least a third of whom are feared dead. In November, Israel released 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, eight of whom have been rescued by Israeli forces.
