The Israel Defense Forces said they found the bodies of five hostages in an underground Hamas tunnel in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia.
What is known about those who died in the Hamas tunnel
The dead were taken to Israel for burial. They include Warrant Officer Ziv Dado, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Corporal Nik Beizer, and civilians Eden Zacharia and Elia Toledano.
The Israeli military gained control over the area of the Jabalia camp, one of the operational centres of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. There, they dismantled the underground headquarters.
The underground headquarters of Hamas included two levels: the first was about ten meters deep, and the second was tens of meters deep. A network of tunnels with many routes was used to control the battle and the movement of militants.
Thanks to intelligence efforts...soldiers discovered and recovered the bodies of five hostages abducted on October 7 and transported them to Israel for burial, the IDF said in a statement.
In the headquarters, they found weapons, tools for making weapons and hiding places in case of emergencies. The network was connected to a shaft leading to the residence of the commander of the Hamas Northern Brigade, Ahmad Andour. Also, the underground network passed under the school and the hospital.
The IDF destroys Hamas tunnels and mines
The Israel Defense Forces announced the destruction of more than 500 mines that led to underground tunnels of Hamas militants during a ground operation in Gaza.
The military discovered more than 800 mines to the underground tunnels of Hamas. About 500 mines were destroyed by various operational methods, in particular, with the help of explosives and blocks, the report said.
As noted, some of the tunnel mines connected strategic objects. In addition, the Israel Defense Forces destroyed many kilometres of tunnel routes.
The IDF indicated that the tunnel mines were located in civilian areas, many of which were located near or inside civilian buildings and structures such as schools, kindergartens, mosques and playgrounds. A large number of weapons were found there.
