Inside the Hamas tunnels where Israeli hostages were held and tortured for months
Hamas still needs to release the body of one hostage as Israel prepares for next steps in the ceasefire with Donald Trump
The Israeli military has given unprecedented access to the sprawling maze of tunnels underneath Gaza where Hamas held hostages and top commanders for months during the war.
Unsettling footage newly shared by the IDF shows the maze of dimly lit tunnels where captives were held, running some 80ft beneath the surface.
Oxygen is scarce at that depth, and heat becomes trapped in the narrow corridors lined with bottled water and discarded rubbish. A makeshift bathroom lays bare the filthy, improvised conditions where Hamas held out for months as the war raged on overhead.
Bottles can be seen piled up on the bathroom floor, with a small waste bin overflowing with toilet paper. A sink, disconnected from running water, is filled with more bottles and drips into a bucket below.
“What we see right here is a perfect example of what Hamas did with all the money and the equipment that was brought into Gaza throughout the years,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters given rare access this week.
“Hamas took it and built an incredible city underground for the purposes of terror and holding bodies of hostages.”
The army says the tunnel is more than 7 kilometers (4 miles) long and up to 25 meters (82 feet) deep and was used for storing weapons as well as long-term stays.
It said top Hamas commanders were there during the war, including Mohammed Sinwar, who was believed to have run Hamas' armed wing and was the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The tunnels are part of a wider network of tunnels running for 450 miles to a maximum depth of 230ft, The Sun reports.
Israel invited reporters into the now vacant tunnels under Rafah two months after a US-brokered armistice to end the war and return the hostages took effect on 10 October.
Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 376 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire.
Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with about Hamas militants still said to be hiding out underground in areas Hamas says it can no longer reach.
Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza since the war began in late 2023, except for rare, brief visits supervised by the military.
Soldiers escorted journalists inside a tunnel, which they said was one of Hamas' most significant and complex underground routes, connecting cities in the embattled territory and used by top Hamas commanders.
Journalists picked their way around dangling cables and uneven concrete slabs covered in sand.
Israel said Hamas had kept the body of a hostage in the underground passage: Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old soldier who was killed in Gaza more than a decade ago and whose remains had been held there.
Hamas returned Goldin's body last month as part of the ceasefire agreement. Israel and Hamas are on the cusp of finishing the first phase of the truce, which mandated the return of all hostages, living and dead, in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.
The body of just one more hostage remains to be returned.
The army hasn't decided what to do with the tunnel. It could seal it with concrete, explode it or hold it for intelligence purposes among other options.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel to Washington this month to discuss next steps in the ceasefire with US president Donald Trump.
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