Khan Younis. CNN
The musty tunnels smell and feel cramped. When the lights go off, the darkness is overwhelming.
Below Khan Younis, a narrow chamber resembling a makeshift cell is where the Israeli military claims Hamas held at least 12 hostages abducted and taken to Gaza on October 7.
The Israeli military’s conclusion is based on testimonies and forensic evidence, including DNA, from released hostages and aligns with accounts in the Israeli media from hostages claiming to have been detained there.
In the darkness underground, the destruction above seems distant, and the atmosphere is filled with silent terror. Any hostages in this place would have had little sense of time or place. The compound is hot, humid, and feels low on oxygen.
Israel alleges that Hamas built an extensive network of compounds like this one, interconnected by tunnels and shafts deep underground, in the southern city of Khan Younis, which Israel regards as a key stronghold of the group.
CNN, accompanied by an IDF commander, was granted access to explore two intertwined tunnel compounds, including the room where Israel alleges hostages were held, in the central section of the city.
During the visit, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfuss, one of the IDF’s top commanders, asserted that the extensive tunnel system spanning much of the Gaza Strip was utilized by Hamas to plan and carry out the deadly terror attack on October 7.
The media agreed to present photos and raw video footage to the Israeli military for review prior to publication as a condition for entering Gaza under IDF escort.
More than 250 hostages were taken during the October 7 terror attack, according to Israeli authorities, with over 27,000 Palestinians killed and 66,000 injured due to Israel’s airstrikes and ground offensive in the strip, resulting in the destruction of entire neighborhoods.
A CNN journalist entered the tunnel network through a basement wall, now exposed by a massive crater, surrounded by devastated residential buildings.
The IDF claimed that three hostages were released from this location during the ceasefire, part of an Israel-Hamas hostage deal in late November. The three were kidnapped from Nir Oz, a kibbutz community near Israel’s border with Gaza.
CNN could not independently verify whether they were held in the compound or for how long, but Hamas propaganda videos have shown hostages in similar confined spaces with tiled walls.
Israel believes that 132 hostages are still being held in Gaza in complexes like the one visited under Khan Younis.
In late January, Israeli forces escalated their offensive on Khan Younis, causing significant damage to medical facilities and other structures shielding displaced civilians.
Inside the subterranean complex, the passages are narrow and cramped. Some of the tunnels are flooded while the flooring slopes up and down, according to the IDF, which stated that the segment of the tunnels visited by CNN extended for approximately one kilometer.
Goldfuss claimed that the compound was used for an extended period. Traces of garbage, food packaging, soiled blankets, and clothing are scattered about, and the interior is decorated with tiles typically found in homes. In the kitchen, the tiles are adorned with depictions of eggs, pickles, flowers, and labeled in English with “flour,” “cookies,” and “cereals.”
Exiting the underground complex unveils the vast destruction caused by the Israeli military. Goldfuss pointed out that a building once stood where CNN accessed the tunnel through a huge crater, and the devastation is extensive, with many buildings left uninhabitable and deserted.
