The IDF has released a video showing the inside of a Hamas tunnel in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, where six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas terrorists. The footage, taken in late August, shows the tunnel where Israeli troops later recovered the bodies of the hostages.

Hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi were killed on August 29 before being discovered by Israeli forces two days later. The tunnel, part of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade’s underground network, spanned 120 meters and was located 20 meters below ground.

The tunnel was used by Hamas militants as a command center, and it contained supplies, including food, water, and equipment, suggesting that both the hostages and their captors had been living underground for several weeks. The IDF believes the terrorists used these resources to sustain the hostages while moving them through Gaza’s extensive tunnel network. Among the items found were assault rifle magazines and makeshift accommodations such as mattresses.

Despite earlier efforts to locate hostages in the Tel Sultan area, the IDF did not have concrete intelligence on their exact whereabouts. Troops conducted operations both above and below ground, eventually discovering the tunnel shaft on August 30, which had been sealed by Hamas. The bodies of the six hostages were found behind a locked blast door the following day.

The IDF has also stated that, two days before the hostages were killed, troops rescued another hostage, Farhan al-Qadi, from a different tunnel nearby, part of the same underground network. However, Hamas had blocked off direct access between the two tunnels.

In the days following the discovery of the hostages, Israeli troops eliminated two Hamas gunmen attempting to escape from the tunnel complex. Their bodies were taken for DNA testing to confirm whether they were directly involved in the murders.

The video footage, captured by IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, was first shown to the families of the hostages and members of the Israeli cabinet. It has since been made public to illustrate the brutality of Hamas and its disregard for civilian lives.

At the same time, the IDF is investigating the leak of the hostages’ names, which occurred before their bodies were officially recovered. The leak, which was made public before the families were notified, has raised serious concerns about operational security and the psychological impact on the hostages’ families.

The release of the footage comes as the IDF continues operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, striking key military targets and eliminating terrorist leaders as part of Israel’s broader campaign against terror groups in the region.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)