IDF Uncovers Underground Hostage Jail Cells in Hamas Stronghold of Khan Yunis

2024-01-21 09:00:01

As Israel tightens the noose around the southern Hamas stronghold of Khan Yunis, the IDF soldiers uncovered a tunnel where several hostages were kept under appalling conditions.

The Israeli soldiers, who captured the tunnel defended by Hamas terrorists, found five prison cells in its underground central chamber. The 20-meter-deep tunnel had been booby-trapped and the hostages were moved out ahead of the Israeli advance.

“The tunnel was located in the heart of a civilian area in Khan Yunis, and its entrance was from the house of a Hamas terrorist,” the Jerusalem Post reported Sunday morning. “The tunnel had security doors and explosives designed to protect the terrorists.”

The military “located prison cells with toilets and a mattress, and they were closed with bars, where 20 hostages were held at different times in harsh conditions without daylight in dense air with little oxygen and terrible humidity that makes it difficult to breathe,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed.

The soldiers recovered drawings by former Israel hostage Emilia Aloni, a 5-year-old girl who was released in late November after 49 days of captivity. More than 100 days after the October 7 attacks, around 132 hostages, including women and children, are still believed to be in Hamas captivity.

The IDF disclosed the details of the exposed underground prison:

Soldiers of the 98th Division operated in an underground tunnel in Khan Yunis where hostages were being held. The length of the tunnel was about 830 meters and it was about 20 meters deep. The entrance to the tunnel was booby-trapped, and inside it there were many obstacles, explosives, sliding doors and blast doors. While the soldiers were advancing through the tunnel, they encountered a number of terrorists. The soldiers fought against them and eliminated them. When the soldiers reached the tunnel, the hostages were already gone, as they were moved to another location.

As part of the examination of the tunnel, a central chamber where hostages were held and five barred prison cells were discovered. In addition, the soldiers located findings that indicated that hostages had been held there, intelligence and weapons belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.

According to testimonies, there were about 20 hostages in the tunnel at different times. Some were released and some are still being held in Gaza.

The tunnel was located in the heart of a civilian area in Khan Yunis, and the entrance to it was located in the residence of a Hamas terrorist. According to intelligence estimates, millions of shekels were invested in the construction of the tunnel.

IDF hits terror targets in Gaza, Lebanon

As the ground offensive entered its twelfth week, the IDF was carrying out operations against Hamas strongholds across Gaza. The center of the military thrust appears to be in Khan Yunis, were Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and several of his top terrorist commanders are believe to be hiding, using Israeli hostages as human shields.

The Israeli navy and air force were assisting the ground forces, the IDF said on Sunday:

IDF naval forces continue to assist ground forces operating in the Gaza Strip with observation capabilities and by striking terror targets. Over the past day, a building in which terrorists ambushed IDF troops in the central Gaza Strip was identified. The forces struck the building and the threat was removed.

IDF troops continued operational activities in Khan Yunis. Over the past day, IDF snipers in cooperation with the IAF eliminated a number of terrorists. Moreover, IDF troops located large quantities of weapons inside a Hamas structure.

A day after an alleged Israeli missile strike eliminated five terror commanders of Iran’s IRGC-Quds Forces in Syria, the IDF continues to neutralize the terrorist threat along its northern border.

The Israeli military on Sunday hit a terrorist target in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon, media reports say. “At least two people were killed and several others injured in a suspected Israeli drone strike on Sunday that targeted a car in southern Lebanon, security sources say,” The Times of Israel reported.

Biden admin preventing gun sales to Israel to prevent ‘settlers’ from arming themselves

The Biden administration is preventing the export of U.S.-made firearms to Israel, citing concerns that the Jewish ‘settlers’ in Judea and Samaria could arm themselves. Despite the October 7 massacre, the Biden staffers are obsessed with ‘settler violence,’ and have even imposed a recent visa ban on so-called ‘extremist settlers’ traveling to the United States.

Following the October 7 mass-murder of innocent and unarmed Israelis, there has been a jump in the sale of guns and self-defense weapons across the country. The fear of further massacres are well founded. In recent weeks, at least two Palestinian death squads have tried to enter Israel from Lebanon and the West Bank.

The Israeli news website Ynet reported Sunday:

Israel is experiencing a shortage in the supply of firearms for, among others, community security teams, caused by delays in authorization by the State Department and Congress.

Some 8,350 guns ordered from the Colt’s gun manufacturer and from Daniel Defense, that had been approved in November, have not yet been supplied.

The delays come following a decision by the Biden administration to review sales of guns to Israel amid concerns that they would be used by West Bank settlers, despite assurances from the government that they would not be supplied to settlements.

The Americans worried that the National Security Ministry under far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir would provide other weapons to the settlers, if supplied the American purchases, hence the months-long delay, that is in addition to sanctions imposed on settlers by the administration that include a ban on entry to the U.S. for violent settlers.




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IDF Uncovers Underground Hostage Jail Cells in Hamas Stronghold of Khan Yunis

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