Israeli ministers were shown graphic footage on Sunday of the conditions in which six Israeli hostages were held by Hamas in a narrow tunnel before being executed by terrorists.
The video was presented during a Security Cabinet meeting at Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s directive and captured by IDF forces who discovered the site.
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From top left: Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat and Almog Sarusi
(Photo: Courtesy)
The footage revealed bloodstains, discarded clothing and bottles of urine in the cramped tunnel where the hostages—Hirsch Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat and Alex Lobanov—were held under inhumane conditions, deprived of food and basic hygiene. Security officials said the hostages were executed by Hamas last Thursday and that other captives are held under similar conditions.
The harrowing video, which could be made public pending the families' consent, left Cabinet members visibly shaken. Some ministers reportedly reacted with shock, referring to Hamas as "monsters" and "animals." "It was extremely difficult to watch and underscored the cruelty of Hamas and the plight of our hostages," a source present at the meeting said.