John Jefferson
Harrowing new video released by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shows the condition of the tunnels in which the troops found six hostages who had been executed by Hamas terrorists last month.
“We have also distributed this footage in English, and I have briefed the international media, so that the whole world can see and remember the evil of Hamas and understand the cruelty with which it treats the hostages,” IDF Spokesperson RADM. Daniel Hagari said at a briefing earlier this week.
“Even at this moment, our hearts are first and foremost with the families of the hostages, and we share in their immense grief and sorrow,” Hagari added. “We continue and will continue to exert every effort, every effort to bring the hostages home alive, and as quickly as possible.”
The IDF in late-August retrieved six bodies of deceased Israeli hostages in a rescue operation. The bodies included that of American-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had made numerous public appeals for his safe return, including speeches at the Democratic National Convention.
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Goldberg-Polin, along with Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat and Almog Sarusi, were executed by Hamas terrorists on Aug. 29 before Israeli forces reached them, the IDF reported.
The new footage shows Hagari as he moves through the tunnels, showing how cramped, dark and terrifying the entire scene truly was. The passageway runs under Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood.
The footage reveals garbage littered throughout the tunnel, as well as scattered clothing and some bloodstains. The troops also found several weeks’ worth of food and equipment they believe the Hamas terrorists had used to survive along with the hostages.
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The tunnel, located about 60 feet underground, runs approximately 400 feet and is not tall enough to stand upright without bending over, according to The Times of Israel.
Israeli forces would go on to destroy a reported eight miles of underground routes and have neutralized roughly 80% of all Hamas tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor, the IDF said this week.
“We are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the murder as thoroughly as possible,” Hagari said. “Once the investigation is complete, we will firstly, firstly present the findings to the families and then to the public.”
“The troops operating in the field acted responsibly and cautiously, above and below ground,” Hagari continued. “In recent weeks, they have eliminated many terrorists above ground, including the commander of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion and the chain of command of the battalion.
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“We did not have intelligence information that would allow us to carry out a hostage rescue operation, and we did not know the precise location of the hostages in the tunnel that was located,” Hagari added. “They were murdered before we reached the location.”
Hagari also mentioned that the IDF has initiated an investigation into how the names of the six hostages leaked before they were recovered from the tunnel, calling the breach “a very serious incident that firstly hurt the families . . . and also compromised the security of the troops operating in the field.”
Israeli forces continue to conduct operations in the Tel al-Sultan area, located in the south-western portion of Gaza and just north of the Philadelphi Corridor, where tunnels continue to be located and destroyed.
Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
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