Tunnel Used by Senior Hamas Figures and Hostages Found in Khan Yunis

Jerusalem, 7 February, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli special forces raided a Khan Yunis tunnel used to shelter senior Hamas figures and hold hostages, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday.

The tunnel, over one kilometer in length, was located in a civilian area of Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-largest city, the IDF said.

The tunnel was raided by soldiers from the Yahalom Unit, an elite combat engineering unit. The IDF said forces fought inside the tunnel with terrorists, breached metal doors and neutralized explosives.

During searches in the tunnel, several rooms were discovered, including a barred cell where hostages were held, a bathroom, and a rest area used by terrorists holding the hostages.

Video footage released by the military also showed bags of concrete belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The US and 14 other countries suspended funding for the agency amid revelations that members of its staff participated in the October 7 attacks, using UNRWA facilities and vehicles. Israel calls for UNRWA’s defunding and the IDF has been ordered to find alternatives to the agency for distributing humanitarian aid inside Gaza.

“This tunnel held approximately 12 hostages at different times; three of them have been returned to Israel, and the rest are still being held in Gaza,” the IDF said.

Soldiers also found intelligence materials and weapons in the tunnel and destroyed a second adjacent shaft.

“Intelligence estimates suggest millions of shekels were invested in its construction. This strategic tunnel is part of an intricate and interconnected underground labyrinth, linked to another tunnel revealed a few weeks ago where additional hostages were held,” the IDF said.

At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the remaining 136 hostages, Israel recently declared 31 of them dead.