Israel shares video of cramped, bloody tunnel where hostages were held and killed

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Blood on the ground of a dark, cramped tunnel sealed by an iron door, bullets and a chess set are seen in a video released by the Israeli military of the passageway deep underground where it said six slain hostages were held and killed by Hamas.

The video was filmed by the military last Friday, its spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, as a forensic team investigated the hostage deaths. It was released to the public on Tuesday after it had been viewed by their families and the Israeli security cabinet.

The six hostages were killed on the night of Aug. 29, Hagari said. Their bodies were found and retrieved by Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza area of Rafah around two days later.

Hagari said at least two Hamas gunmen shot them dead in the tunnel, which is 20 metres (66 ft) below ground, less than 170 centimetres (5.6 ft) high and about 80 centimetres (32 inches) wide. It has an exit shaft used by the militants, below a children's room in a house.

The hostages had likely been held in the dank tunnel, where it is hard to breathe and to stand up straight, for some time, possibly weeks, Hagari said.

A version of the video with English narration shows Kalashnikov rifle magazines, bags containing plastic bottles filled with urine and a bucket in a hole that served as a toilet. Women's clothing is strewn on the ground. The Hebrew version, broadcast live on Israeli television channels, also shows a chess set.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the location or the date when the video was filmed.

Israeli troops were in the area, fighting Hamas militants above ground, when the hostages were killed, Hagari said, adding that the soldiers had not been attempting a rescue operation. The military did not have precise verified intelligence about the hostages' presence in the area, he said.

The six dead hostages were two women and four men aged between 23 and 40, five of whom were taken from the Nova dance festival attacked by militants on Oct. 7 last year. One of them was a father whose baby was born after he was taken hostage. The killings have sparked outrage and an outpouring of grief in Israel.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza that would include a hostage release deal have faltered, with Israel and Hamas trading blame for the deadlock. Mass protests last week demanded Israeli leaders do more for their release.

Hamas-led fighters took around 250 foreign and Israeli hostages when they burst into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since.

Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed dead. More than 100 hostages were released in return for Palestinian prisoners in November and eight have been rescued by Israeli forces.

(Reporting by Mayaan Lubell, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)