00:00 The Israeli Defence Forces have uncovered a rigged tunnel in the Gaza Strip containing
00:06 confined cells where approximately 20 hostages were reportedly held by Hamas.
00:12 The military describes the conditions inside the tunnel as "harsh" and "inhumane".
00:18 Soldiers walked about a kilometre in the tunnel, situated approximately 20 metres underground,
00:23 and discovered a central chamber where hostages, based on testimonies from those who returned
00:28 from Gaza, were believed to spend a significant portion of their time, according to Rear Admiral
00:34 Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson.
00:37 Upon discovery, no hostages were present in the tunnel, according to the report.
00:41 The holding area included five narrow rooms behind metal bars equipped with toilets, mattresses
00:48 and even drawings by a child hostage who had been liberated during a November truce, as
00:52 conveyed by Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson.
00:57 The Israeli military shared images from the subterranean structure and facilitated the
01:01 presence of journalists to document the tunnel before its subsequent destruction.
01:06 The tunnel entrance, Hagari said, was in the house of a Hamas member in the southern Gaza
01:10 city of Khan Yunis, where Israel has been focusing its fight in recent weeks against
01:15 the Palestinian Islamist group.
01:17 The soldiers entered the tunnel where they encountered terrorists, engaging in a battle
01:21 that ended with the elimination of the terrorists, Hagari said.
01:25 The tunnel was rigged with blast doors and explosives, he said.
01:29 According to the testimonies we have, about 20 hostages were held in this tunnel at different
01:34 times under harsh conditions, without daylight, in dense air with little oxygen and terrible
01:40 humidity that makes breathing difficult, he said.
01:44 Some of them were released about 50 days ago and some are still held in Gaza and may be
01:48 under even harsher conditions, including very elderly people who need medication and help,
01:54 Hagari added.
01:55 A week-long truce mediated by Qatar resulted in the release of some hostages, while more
02:00 than 130 individuals captured during Hamas' October 7 attack in southern Israel remain
02:04 in Gaza.
02:06 In central Tel Aviv, thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday, demanding the
02:10 return of hostages and calling for early elections to remove Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
02:14 Netanyahu.
02:15 Demonstrators carrying signs branding Netanyahu as the face of evil marched through Habima
02:21 Square, a frequent protest site.
02:23 Similar protests occurred in Haifa and outside the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem,
02:27 all urging the safe return of the hostages.
02:30 -
02:36 (upbeat music)
02:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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