The entrance to the tunnel in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, were the six murdered Israeli hostages were found on Aug. 31, 2024. (Photo: IDF)
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Sunday night presented a video of the tunnel where six murdered hostages were discovered to the Cabinet, following a request from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The video showed the tunnel where the bodies were found, and where the hostages had apparently been held for some time. Ministers who viewed the footage described it as “one of the hardest videos to watch.”
The video revealed water bottles, protein bars, some clothing, notebooks, and chess or backgammon boards inside the tunnel.
Ministers who viewed the video told N12 News: “The room was horribly quiet. It was one of the hardest videos to watch. It turns the stomach. The tunnel is narrow and low, you can either lie down or sit or walk bent over. It is impossible to fit more than a mattress and a half sideways.”
The IDF also presented the results of its preliminary investigation of the six murdered hostages to the families.
הפיר שמוביל למנהרה בה אותרו גופותיהם של החטופים כרמל גת ז״ל, עדן ירושלמי ז״ל, הירש גולדברג-פולין ז״ל, אלכסנדר לובנוב ז״ל, אלמוג סרוסי ז״ל ורס״ר אורי דנינו ז״ל, אותר לצד בובות וציורי קיר של דמויות מצוירות בחצר ילדים >> pic.twitter.com/Vm5SSvrOIw
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 4, 2024
The findings from the Institute of Forensic Medicine indicate that the hostages were murdered a day before IDF troops reached the tunnel. The hostages had been severely starved, receiving minimal food. They lacked access to showers or basic hygiene facilities and had to rely on water bottles both makeshift bathing and drinking.
Reportedly, only two hostages could lie down at a time on the mattresses. One of the hostages showed signs of being recently tied up and there were indications of prior injuries to the hostages, possibly during the abduction, which were treated over time.
There were no air vents in the tunnel, and the hostages would likely have had difficulty breathing.
Channel 13 News said the forensic report indicated the hostages tried to protect and defend each other in the final moments. The four males – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov and Almog Sarusi apparently tried to protect Eden Yerushalmi and Carmel Gat when they realized they were to be executed.
With the exception of Gat, who was abducted from her parent’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri, all of the hostages were abducted from the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7.
The IDF is also investigating the source responsible for leaking the names of the hostages before the military had completed the operation to return the bodies to Israel and identify them.
Hours before the bodies were recovered, a wave of rumors and hearsay began to spread online, causing many families to find out about the death of their loved ones before the IDF had completed the mission. In an attempt to stop the rumor spread, the military announced the recovery of the bodies without revealing their identities.
It is not clear how the details of the sensitive operation were leaked; however, the result was that the families learned about the incident from unofficial sources before receiving notification from the military.
