Israel Releases Video Of Hamas Tunnel. Why Are These Underground Passages Difficult To Locate?
Hamas has been using the tunnel networks, nicknamed as 'Gaza Metro' due to its magnitude, for launching military attacks, storing logistics and transportation routes.
The Israeli military has released a video of a tunnel in Gaza where the six hostages were recently killed by militant group Hamas. The video shows a low and narrow passageway running deep underground the Palestinian territory without a bathroom and poor ventilation.
The bodies of the six hostages were recovered in an underground tunnel in Gaza on August 29. The captives, including an Israeli American, were among more than 200 captives taken by Hamas in Gaza during the October 7 attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that their bodies were found in the tunnel under the city of Rafah around two days later. The military said that they were “brutally” murdered before the troops reached them.
Meanwhile, the video of the tunnel, released by the IDF on Tuesday, showed the cramped tunnel which was sealed by an iron door, bullets and blood on the ground.
𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄: IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, reveals the underground terrorist tunnel where Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Ori, Alex and Almog were held in brutal conditions and murdered by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/edlfi4lR8U
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 10, 2024
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the video was shot last Friday and the forensic team investigated the hostage deaths.
The tunnel was around 20 meters deep and stretched about 120 meters. The hostages were likely held in the tunnel, where it is hard to breathe or stand upright for possibly weeks, Hagari said.
The Israeli military spokesperson, unable to stand upright in the narrow arched passageway, showed bottles of urine, a bucket that served as a makeshift toilet, a chess board and ammunition for an automatic rifle.
“They were here in this tunnel in horrific conditions, where there’s no air to breathe, where you cannot stand,” he said in the video.
What You Need To Know About 'Gaza Metro Tunnels'
Even before the formation of the militant group Hamas, the tunnels have been an integral part of life in Gaza since the 1980s.
The tunnels served a range of purposes: transporting food and essentials during the blockade, escaping war and aerial attacks and transferring people across the borders to Egypt.
However, the Hamas has been using the tunnel networks, nicknamed as “Gaza Metro” due to its magnitude, for launching military attacks, storing logistics and transportation routes.
The tunnels in Gaza are believed to be 41 km long and 10 km wide. Hamas, in 2021, claimed to have built 500 km of tunnels under Gaza, though the figure remains to be ascertained.
Why Are Hamas Tunnels Difficult To Locate?
Hamas has been using the passageway to store arms and ammunition, as a passage way to change position away from the danger of strikes and smuggle fighters, weapons and other contraband.
We have all now heard about how bad #Hamas tunnels are, but what can the @IDF do about them? Fill with cement, seawater, smoke? Bunker busters? I sat down with @RichemondBarak on my #podcast to discuss it all. Have a listen. https://t.co/kXN3Jxk85M
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) October 20, 2023
The tunnels are concealed from the military and a vertical shaft provides an access point to the tunnels underneath, according to Retuers.
The shaft can stretch deep underground, running for over 20-30 metres, before it connects to the horizontal tunnel network, protecting those underground from aerial attacks or surface blasts.
Though Israeli forces have destroyed many of the tunnels, still the Hamas operate from these underground passages. Often these tunnels are difficult to locate by the IDF as it may be hidden inside buildings or structures.
The latest tunnel unveiled by the Israeli military was found hidden by a shaft buried under a child’s bedroom at a home in Rafah.
In December last year, the Israeli military had uncovered "the biggest tunnel to date" in a sand dune at the northern edge of the Gaza Strip. The underground passage was wide enough to drive a car through and was located around 100 meters south of Israel’s Erez military checkpoint.
Over 100 Still In Captivity
After over 200 people were captured by Hamas last October, more than 100 have been released during a ceasefire in November in a prisoner exchange deal.
Moreover, eight have been rescued by Israeli forces, while Israeli troops mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages who had escaped captivity in December.
According to the Israeli military, 101 hostages remain in captivity, including 35 who are believed to be dead.
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