The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday released images of a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where they said Hamas held about 20 hostages at different times.
The tunnel was located in the center of Khan Younis and ran about 830 meters (0.51 miles) at a depth of 20 meters (66 feet), the IDF said.
There were booby traps, explosives and various obstacles inside the tunnel, according to the IDF, which said it encountered and killed several Hamas operatives upon entering the tunnel.
The IDF found no hostages in the tunnel but said, based on testimonies from former hostages and DNA evidence, that about 20 hostages were held there at different times, some of whom have been released while others remain held in Gaza.
Videos shared by the IDF show long tunnels, some of which lead to rooms with mattresses, blankets and food wrappers scattered on the floor, and to kitchen and bathroom areas.
The group also posted photos of a couple of children's drawings. Five-year-old former hostage Emilia Aloni made the drawings, according to the IDF, Aloni's family told them.
Aloni and her mother were freed in November during a brief truce between Hamas and Israel to allow the exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners in Israeli jails. During the truce more than 100 hostages were released.
Israel estimates that 132 hostages from the October 7, 2023 attacks remain in Gaza, of whom 25 are believed dead.
