The two sections at the end, personal stories and Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages are very important to read, as important or more than the news of the day.
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*10:10am - north - rockets/missiles *12:55pm - north - rockets/missiles *1:45pm - north - rockets/missiles *2:30pm - north - rockets/missiles *3:15pm - north - rockets/missiles *3:15pm - Haifa and surrounding areas - rockets/missiles *3:15pm - Acre and surrounding areas - rockets/missiles *3:40pm - north -rockets/missiles *3:45pm - north - rockets/missiles *3:50pm - north - rockets/missiles *5:05pm - north - rockets/missiles *5:10pm - north -rockets/missiles *
Hostage Updates
The family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepalese student who was taken captive by Hamas from Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, appeals for his return before the Hindu festival of Tihar, which begins later this week.
“I am waiting for my brother, even at this festival. Please return him safely,” says Pushpa Joshi, in a video released by the Nepali Embassy in Israel, according to a local news outlet.
“I will be watching the road during this festival, hoping to see him come home,” she adds.A top Hamas official appears to indicate that the Gazan terror group is open to a deal with Israel as talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages restart in Doha.
Husam Badran, a senior member of Hamas’s Qatar-based political bureau, says in a statement carried by the Pro-Hamas Shehab news agency that an agreement is possible.
“Our demands are clear and known, and a deal can be reached, provided that Netanyahu remains committed to what was already agreed upon,” Badran says.
It is unclear if Badran’s comments are in reaction to an Egyptian proposal for a two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli hostages for some Palestinian prisoners, followed by 10 days of talks.
Saudi news station Al Arabiya reported earlier that Hamas was willing to accept the Egyptian proposal as long as it is incorporated into its July 2 demands for a hostage deal. It also seeks guarantees that Israel will commit to the Egyptian proposal being part of a comprehensive deal.
Hamas sources also told Saudi channel Asharq News that the group preferred a comprehensive deal rather than a piecemeal one.
Hostage’s sister warns lawmakers a hostage could come home from Gaza with a baby
Yarden Gonen, sister of hostage Romi, attends a meeting of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, with Mandy Damari, mother of hostage Emily, to her left, in Jerusalem on October 28, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yarden Gonen, sister of hostage Romi, attends a meeting of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, with Mandy Damari, mother of hostage Emily, to her left, in Jerusalem on October 28, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality meets on the plight and sexual abuse of female hostages held in Gaza, with the sister of one warning that there’s a chance a hostage will come home with a baby.
What the committee is doing is “simply not enough,” says Yarden Gonen, the sister of hostage Romi Gonen, adding that she feels “like I’m being laughed at.”
Giving a graphic description of the sexual torture suffered by women on October 7 and by hostages during their captivity, Gonen states that “if someone comes back with a baby, then I will come back here and run after each one of you here, because this could have been avoided.”
Simona Steinbrecher, mother of Doron Steinbrecher, 30, calls on lawmakers to “bring me back my Doron alive, and not in a body bag.”
A hostage deal is “complete victory,” she states, riffing on a phrase used often by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refer to the attainment of military objectives.
Speaking in English, Mandy Damari, the mother of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, tells the committee that she cannot go to any more memorials and calls the struggle for the hostages a “fight for decency, morality and justice against a fight for control and money power and ego.”
However, “I just don’t know how we can fight against it much longer. My strength is waning very quickly, and it defies all belief that they’re still there,” she adds. video of Mandy Damari in english
A group of barefoot women, their hands zip-tied behind their backs, enter the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality and stand behind chairwoman MK Pnina Tamano-Shata as Shiri Elbag, the mother of hostage Liri Albag, describes the conditions under which the hostages are being held. A number of women attended the panel dressed as hostage Naama Levy, whose abduction from Nahal Oz with bloodstained sweatpants was seen in a harrowing video on October 7.
Women dressed as hostage Naama Levy highlight the abuse suffered by those held captive in Gaza, at a meeting of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, Jerusalem, October 28, 2024 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
A guard rushes to stop the women until Tamano-Shata, a lawmaker from the opposition National Unity party, explains that they are invited.
Shiri Albag notes the paucity of MKs and ministers during the hearing. Tamano-Shata replies that it is easy for people to close their eyes but “we won’t give up.”
Hostages like Liri, a 19-year-old female soldier who was abducted from her base at Nahal Oz on the morning of October 7, “deserve to live normal lives,” Albag states.
As Albag speaks, the women parade through the committee room, their faces and bodies painted with marks resembling bloody wounds, before returning to stand behind Tamano-Shata.
Israel has received no official response from Hamas on the various proposals for a hostage deal under discussion, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel, nor have the mediators.
Israel is “checking all possibilities” for a deal, the official continues, and is willing to negotiate over any proposal.
In Doha, says the official, the Israeli team led by Mossad chief David Barnea discussed the Egyptian proposal for a small deal to restore trust between the sides, and the multi-stage deal being pushed by Qatar and the US.
Still, in any deal, says the official, Hamas will demand an end to the war in Gaza as a condition. “We are not willing to do that,” the official declares.
Israel still doesn’t have a clear picture of who is making decisions on hostage talks in Hamas after leader Yahya Sinwar was killed. “They still haven’t had their primaries,” says the official, “and Hamas abroad is in chaos.”
Today’s meeting in Doha between Barnea, CIA chief Bill Burns, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani ended in the early afternoon, Ynet reports. The meetings, which began last night, are trying to combine the modest Egyptian proposal and the comprehensive Qatari-American one.
The next stage, says Ynet, is to bring Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad into talks, then move toward negotiations between working groups, where Hamas will join indirectly.
Hamas will demand the body of Sinwar in any deal, reports Ynet.
The ultimate goal is to hammer out one comprehensive proposal, and to fold a diplomatic solution to the fighting in Lebanon into it, according to the report.
Yesterday, an Israeli source told The Times of Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to end the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon once a diplomatic arrangement is reached that guarantees Israel’s war aims are achieved. linkI think that anyone expecting a real response from Hamas now was deceiving themselves. The Egyptian proposal of releasing 4 hostages for 2 weeks of ceasefire was immediately rejected by Hamas which was no surprise. And the Qatari/American proposal which is a long drawn out 3 phase deal has been a non starter since it was presented in July. There will be no deal with Hamas without ending the war and the 'official' who stated above that 'we are not willing to do that' is Netanyahu's mouthpiece as Netanyahu doesn't want to end the war. I have explained multiple times why he doesn't want to end the war but here is a short refresher. There are 3 main reasons: 1- his extreme messianic coalition partners will not agree and threaten to bring down the government which Netanyahu doesn't want because he will do anything to remain prime minister. 2- ending the war will almost definitely bring about an Official State Commission of Inquiry, which Netanyahu has been doing everything to prevent because he knows that a commission like this will find him responsible for most everything that led up to October 7 as well as his total mismanagement of the war. 3- ending the war will cause all of the delays to his 3 criminal court proceedings to end and the cases to proceed. He wants the knesset to go ahead with the judicial takeover so that he will be able to get all the trials to end without him ever being found guilty and sentenced to prison. There will be no deal with Hamas, even after the killing of Sinwar that won't include the end of the war. Netanyahu and his extreme partners have no compunction about letting whatever hostages are still alive, to die.
Mossad chief David Barnea returns from his 24-hour trip to Qatar to discuss proposals for a hostage deal, says the Prime Minister’s Office.
Barnea, CIA chief Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed “a new unified proposal that combines previous proposals and also takes into account the main issues and recent developments in the region” during meetings in Doha, according to the PMO.
“Recent developments” usually refers to the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza earlier this month.
“In the coming days, the discussions between the mediators and with Hamas will continue to examine the feasibility of talks and continuing to try to promote a deal,” adds the PMO.
There is an Egyptian proposal to release four hostages during a two-day ceasefire on the table, as well as the Qatari-American multi-stage proposal that would ultimately see all hostages released and the war ended.
Gaza
A Palestinian source based in Qatar has stated that following the assassination of senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, there is a sense among Gaza officials that they have "nothing left to lose," according to a report by Kan News correspondent Elior Levy on Sunday evening, as preparations for hostage negotiation talks are underway in Doha.
According to Levy’s report on Kan 11, the source explained that this mindset will influence the Palestinian approach to negotiations, as they intend to stand firm on their conditions. The source shared that after the discussions in Doha, consultation with the military council in Gaza will follow, which will guide the next steps. The source noted that the consultation process could take several days due to the complexity of communication between Doha and Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces says troops are carrying out targeted raids in central Gaza and have killed a number of fighters with terror groups.
The army says troops have additionally battled terror operatives in the Rafah and Jabaliya areas.
“The forces continue their efforts to evacuate civilians to safe areas, despite Hamas’ efforts to prevent civilians from doing so,” the IDF says in a statement.
600 Arrested in Jabaliya, Hundreds of Terrorists Remain | Documentation: Naval Commando in Hospital that Became a Terror Command Center The IDF raid continues in the northern Gaza Strip city after completing an operation at the Kamal Adwan hospital, where 60 terrorists were arrested. One of the brigades operating in Jabaliya has returned to Israel, while two others continue their mission. The IDF stated that “the fear barrier of Hamas was broken this past week.” Documentation from the interrogation of an ambulance driver reveals: “Hamas is everywhere, we are fed up.” The operation at the hospital in Jabaliya, used as a “terror command center,” has concluded, with one of the brigades exiting the Gaza Strip. At Kamal Adwan Hospital, IDF forces found weapons, terrorist funds, and Hamas documents. Forces entering the hospital arrested terrorists who were barricaded inside, some of whom had participated in the October 7 massacre. The detainees were interrogated by Unit 504 field investigators and transferred for further investigation in Israel. In footage released by the IDF, Shayetet 13 commandos are seen searching the hospital, and an ambulance driver from the hospital is questioned, describing how Hamas used the hospital and ambulances to transport terrorists. In his interrogation, he shared that “Hamas operatives are present in the courtyards, at building gates, in offices, schools, and the hospital. They use ambulances to transport their wounded military operatives. We are tired of this situation.” “The remaining Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza were concentrated in Jabaliya, emphasizing the importance of this raid and its continuation,” said IDF sources. “Initially, we faced challenges in evacuating the population from the city, but over the past week, the fear barrier of Hamas, who even fired at civilians' feet, has been broken, and about 50,000 have left Jabaliya. Most of them remain in Gaza City, not moving southward through the Netzarim corridor.” They added, “The fighting here is mainly characterized by guerrilla tactics due to Hamas's disrupted command and control. We encountered the most significant resistance we’ve faced in Jabaliya in the past year, with numerous explosive devices. Some of the terrorists we arrested and who surrendered were planning an attack against our forces.” A large portion of Hamas’s explosives in Jabaliya, as in other parts of the Gaza Strip, have led to IDF casualties, even in this current raid. Hamas produces these explosives using remnants of IDF ordinance, and so the forces have destroyed such remnants, including by air, to prevent their reuse. link
"*Those fuckers": Regev Attacks Protesters at Likud Meeting During the Likud Faction meeting, ministers tried to calm Regev and warned her, "Enough, Miri, everything is being recorded." The minister responded, "At least we got through the ceremonies." Transportation Minister Miri Regev cursed the protesters today (Monday). At the Likud faction meeting, she told Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi: "Protesters are outside my house from six in the morning. 'Fuck the protesters' mothers.'" Likud ministers tried to calm Regev and warned her: "Enough, Miri, everything is being recorded." Their warning did not stop the minister, who replied, "I don’t care. No matter, at least we got through the ceremonies." Today, the Knesset's winter session opened, marking a year since the war. During various faction meetings, Sharon Kalderon, the sister-in-law of kidnapped Ofer Kalderon, shouted at Gadi Eisenkot: "Who is feeding them? Who is holding them? Who cares for them if not us? So, the Knesset Guard finishes containing us? So rude. A whole year, who has been containing you? Is that a statement from the Knesset Guard? Shame on the Knesset Guard, shame on this Knesset altogether. What kind of behavior is this?" Earlier today, families of kidnapped individuals attended the Knesset’s Interior Committee. There, Gilad Korngold, father of Tal Shoham, kidnapped in Gaza, said: "There are hostages buried alive, and no one stood up during the recess and said they must be freed. This is the only existential threat to the State of Israel. There is no reason for you to be dealing now with money, honor, and positions." link It is no longer a question about how low they can go because they always find ways to go lower. Miri Regev, a senior minister (another failed minister) in Netanyahu's failed government has a long history of making disgusting statements and today she called the protesters who are calling for the return of the 101 hostages that this government is responsible for, 'Fuckers'. And when she was told her statements were being recorded, she said she didn't care because the memorial ceremonies for October 7 that she was horridly given responsibility to produce, were already over. So now it's alright in her eyes to curse the protesters who include family members of the hostages. She doesn't have to make nice because the "Miri Regev Memorial" productions were complete. Disgusting and par for the course for this coarse excuse for a human being.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
In a morning update on recent fighting, the IDF says troops have continued to strike infrastructures and confiscate weapons belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in south Lebanon.
The military says dozens of airstrikes have hit terror cells and infrastructure, including a launcher used to fire rockets at Israel.
The IDF says dozens of Hezbollah operatives have been killed in fighting in the past 24 hours. Video
After issuing evacuation warnings, the IDF says it carried out a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon’s coastal city of Tyre.
Smoke billows from the site of Israeli airstrikes on a neighborhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on October 28, 2024. (KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
In a statement, the IDF says the Hezbollah targets included weapons depots, buildings used by the terror group, and observation posts belonging to various Hezbollah units.
“The Hezbollah terror organization advanced terror activities against Israeli citizens and IDF troops from these compounds,” the military says.
The IDF says Tyre is a major Hezbollah stronghold, especially for the terror group’s Aziz regional unit, from which it plans attacks on Israel. video of blowing up buildings in Tyre
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
The man killed in asuspected truck rammingearlier today near Glilot has been named as Bezalel Carmi, 72, from Rishon Lezion.
Police have yet to officially determine if the incident, in which an Arab-Israeli truck driver from Qalansawe plowed into a crowd at a bus stop, wounding more than 30 people, was a terror attack.
The driver’s family claims that he had no intentions of carrying out an attack, and asked for an autopsy to be undertaken to determine whether a medical incident caused the crash.
May his memory forever be a blessing
Politics and the War (general news)
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and seven of her global counterparts have reportedly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against allowing far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to let a banking deal expire that could torpedo the already fragile Palestinian Authority economy.
According to a report in Axios, Yellen — along with the treasury chiefs of Japan, Canada, the EU, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and France — sent a letter to Netanyahu seeking to ensure that Smotrich extends a key banking deal that will allow Israeli and Palestinian banks to continue conducting transactions.
As the October 31 deadline approaches, the US has grown increasingly worried that Smotrich won’t agree to extend it further as he has issued a list of demands for PA banks to adhere to.
The letter reportedly expresses the treasury chiefs’ “fear that actions taken by some members of your government to deny the West Bank access to financial resources endangers Israel’s security and threatens to further destabilize the entire region in an already perilous moment.” linkThere are many problems here and very few solutions. Smotrich's dream is to get rid of all the Palestinians and one way he sees to start the process, is to bring about the end of the Palestinian Authority. He wants their lives to be miserable so they will want to leave on their own. Besides the fact that he has no qualifications to be the Finance Minister and is a totally failed one, he is an extreme messianic who doesn't care what problems he creates for Israel and the citizens as long as his extreme ideologies are being realized. And our failed prime minister who is weak and only concerned with his own political survival and future, allows and enables these extremists to commit actions that are illegal as per international law and would be illegal under Israeli law as well if we had anyone who would and could challenge these acts.
Gallant's Warning Letter to Cabinet Ministers: "The War is Being Conducted Without a Valid Compass"
Against the backdrop of exchanges with Iran, the Defense Minister sent a letter to the Security Cabinet members calling for updating the war's objectives: "The current situation in which we are operating harms campaign management and Cabinet decisions." Netanyahu's office: "Very puzzling, the objectives are constantly being reviewed - and were recently expanded"
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Security Cabinet members warning that the war is being conducted "without a valid compass" due to the changes it's undergoing - which include direct exchanges with Iran. "The significant developments, primarily the direct exchanges, increase the need to hold discussions and update the war's objectives," Gallant wrote.
In the letter published on Network News, Gallant added: "The situation in which we are operating, without updating the war's objectives, harms campaign management and Cabinet decisions." He claimed that discussions about objectives aren't even being held, and called for a discussion about goals "with a comprehensive view of all arenas and their relationships. In Gaza: establishing reality without military threat, preventing buildup of terror capabilities, returning all hostages and advancing an alternative to Hamas rule. In Lebanon: creating security conditions that will allow northern residents to return to their homes as soon as possible."
The Prime Minister's Office said Gallant's letter was "very puzzling." The office's statement added that "there is one compass, and it is the war objectives as set by the Cabinet. The objectives are constantly being reviewed, and were recently expanded."
Gallant's statements come after Israel's strike on Iran between Friday and Saturday night, during which four S-300 air defense systems that Iran purchased from Russia were reportedly destroyed, along with military bases and sites that were attacked. An Israeli source told the Wall Street Journal that essentially all S-300 systems in Iran's possession before the strike were destroyed.
Now, Iran is sending a threatening message to Israel. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "We will give an appropriate response to the Zionist regime's aggression against our military sites. The conflict could expand if Israeli strikes continue. Tehran does not want war, but we will defend our nation's and country's rights." link
Haaretz Conference in London | Former PM Olmert: 'Gross Mistake' to Use Oct. 7 as Argument Against Palestinian State
At the Haaretz conference in London, Olmert and Palestinian Fatah official Nasser al-Kidwa discuss a joint peace proposal, emphasizing the need for immediate negotiations to end the cycle of violence and establish a two-state solution
Using October 7 as an argument against the creation of a Palestinian state is a "gross mistake," former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said during the final panel of the Haaretz conference in London on Sunday, "Israel after October 7: Allied or Alone?"
The panel included Fatah Central Committee member Dr. Nasser al-Kidwa, participating in an Israeli conference for the first time, and was moderated by Haaretz Editor-in-Chief Aluf Benn.
be supportive." He said that they are drumming up support from such governments, but that their vision will not immediately come.
"The public will see that the war, the blood, the tears, the agony is not the way forward," he said, "And we have to start accepting each other and accepting each other's existence" with a solution of two states with 1967 borders."
He presented two alternatives for the future: "Either you accept the other side" and show "readiness to compromise" or you "go in the other direction of endless war." Some will say now is not the time for a peace proposal because "everybody is seeking revenge, everybody wants blood. That is exactly the time you need to stand up and say that you have to change course."
Al-Kidwa added, "Israelis have to choose a new leader, and the Palestinians" need to change leadership as well. Political change on both sides is needed to move forward.
Israel’s in-development high-powered laser interception system, dubbed Iron Beam, is expected to be operational in a year, the director general of the Defense Ministry says.
The 'Iron Beam' laser-based air defense system is seen intercepting a target over southern Israel, March 2022. (Defense Ministry)
“The first capability of the ground laser system… is expected to enter operational service in a year from today,” Eyal Zamir says during the signing of a NIS 2 billion ($535 million) contract with manufacturers Rafael and Elbit.
The Iron Beam is designed to work in tandem with systems like Iron Dome and shoot down smaller projectiles.
The agreement between the ministry and Rafael and Elbit will “significantly increase” the rate of production “in order to supply the laser systems on time and at a high rate,” a statement says.
Politics and the War (general news)
Several anti-government demonstrators stage a brief sit-in in the Knesset cafe, donning masks of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other government ministers and zip-tying themselves to chairs.
An anti-government protester is removed from the Knesset by security guards on October 28, 2024 (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel)
The demonstrators, whose masks feature the faces of ministers Aryeh Deri and Itamar Ben Gvir, among others, are protesting the government and calling for a hostage deal.
The protesters scuffle with Knesset guards as they are removed while a large crowd gathers around them. The guards yell at bystanders to stop filming as a resisting protester falls to the floor, dragging two security officers down with him.
One woman raises her hands above her head as she is led off, showing off a pair of the gloves stained red to represent blood.
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz slams the government for taking a “business as usual” attitude, arguing that “this is not the time for a sectoral budget” nor “political deals at the expense of the country’s future.”
Addressing reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Gantz proposes three new laws he would like to see passed in the new legislative session: a Basic Law addressing the value of equality, “if only to express solidarity with our Druze brothers”; a bill establishing a state commission of inquiry into October 7; and a military service outline that will “impose personal sanctions on anyone who is not included in the exemption quotas and does not serve.”
The government has called up reservists again and again and this “must not be taken for granted, as a routine that will last forever,” he says, calling on the ultra-Orthodox not to make political deals “on the backs of those who serve.”
Gantz also calls on IDF chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to send out enlistment orders to every member of this year’s ultra-Orthodox draft cohort “immediately,” calling it his “legal and moral duty as long as the government does not enact another law” regulating exemptions.
And while fighting in Gaza will continue for years, it is important to come to an agreement on a hostage deal instead of making excuses, he insists.
Gantz also slams New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar, who recently joined the coalition as a minister without portfolio, saying that “political considerations are his leading considerations” and questioning how he will vote on the enlistment issue.
In response, Sa’ar tweets that the current conscription law, which both oppose, was initially Gantz’s initiative during the previous Knesset. The sign says " we will not be drafted to an enemy army!"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams the government for “promoting an evasion law” while IDF servicewomen tasked with monitoring the Gaza border are still being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
“With one hand [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu sends soldiers who have to fight and survive on the battlefield for the defense of the homeland, with the other hand he bribes his coalition partners, in order to survive politically,” he tells reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
“There has never been [and] never will be such a disgrace in the history of Israel. Such blatant discrimination between blood and blood. This disgrace must be stopped. We will fight this disgraceful law in the name of the fighters, in the name of the reservists, in the name of the wounded and dead, in the name of those who love this country,” he states.
The Region and the World
Speaking after Israel’s reprisal strikes on Iran early yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military used “only some” of its abilities.
“Our message is a very clear message, and it is connected to the things that have happened across the Middle East in recent months. We know how to reach and hit any threat, in any place, at any time,” Halevi says during an assessment yesterday, in a video just released by the IDF.
“We drew upon only some of our abilities. We have the ability to do much more. We hit strategic systems in Iran… and we will see how things develop now. We are ready for all scenarios on all fronts,” he adds.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran does not seek war with Israel, but is ready to deliver “an appropriate response” to Israeli strikes this week on Iranian military sites.
“We do not seek war but we will defend the rights of our nation and country,” Pezeshkian tells a cabinet meeting, adding: “We will give an appropriate response to the aggression of the Zionist regime.”
Survivors
Personal Stories
Sapir feared suffocation; Staff Sergeant D. found bodies: People with firsthand knowledge of Gaza tunnels
Sapir Cohen, freed from Hamas captivity, describes a life devoid of light, plagued by moisture and mold; Staff Sergeant D. shares experiences of engaging terrorists in the tunnels; Prof. Kobi Michael warns that other enemies are focusing on underground warfare; Brigadier General (Res.) Ido Mizrahi evaluates both failures and successes regarding tunnel operations, while Prof. Silvana Fennig examines the long-term psychological effects of this underground existence
For two decades the combination of the words "Hamas Tunnels" has been considered a nightmare for Israelis. Such a tunnel exploded underneath the JVT outpost at the Philadelphi corridor in 2004, killing five soldiers. Such tunnels were used for the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit and the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
At Operation Protective Edge in 2014 Nukhba terrorists infiltrated Israel via such underground tunnel dug from Gaza into Israel, and they were recorded killing Israeli soldiers. On the morning of October 7, 2023, when hundreds of Israeli abductees were being dragged or marched into the Gaza Strip, all Israelis cringed at the thought that within minutes they would be led tens of feet underground.
An IDF soldier inside a Hamas tunnel
(Photo: AP / Victor R. Caivano)
A year has passed, and the horror has not faded. In some respects, and certainly after presenting videos of the dark tunnel where Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Alex Lobanov were murdered at the end of August, the fear has intensified.
And yet, since the onset of the ground maneuver about 11 months ago, we know much more about the massive underground network that Palestinian terrorist organizations have dug under the Gaza Strip over the years. This was made possible due to the countless hours of IDF soldiers operating inside it, but tragically more so, thanks to firsthand stories of hostages who have returned, helping to shed light on the life, if you can call it that, inside the tunnels. Here are monologues by five people who summarize what Israel knows about the most significant strategic asset held by the Gazan enemy.
I said to the terrorists: Maybe it's better to be down in the tunnel / Sapir Cohen
After a long walk, during which I stepped with my bare feet on nails and other unfamiliar objects, I was brought to a place that looked like a shelter, with concrete and thick walls, and I was ordered to enter the elevator. The "elevator" was a concrete block that somehow moved vertically. I didn't know I was in a tunnel because I entered straight into a space with porcelain paving, but I quickly learned that there are "tunnels" and there are "passages between the tunnels", through which one can cross from one space to another. A "passage" is, for example, the narrow tunnel where the bodies of the six murdered hostages were found at the end of August. These are the narrow, low, and arched passageways that Israelis know from the pictures.
After spending a few days in an underground tunnel, I climbed up using a ladder, and I was moved through the passages to houses located above the ground. All the houses I was held in were connected by tunnels. When I stayed in the houses I would hear terrible bombings and thought it would be better to be down, inside the tunnel; but when I told this to the terrorists, their answer was: "No. If there is a bombing you will suffocate down there." Still, after a short while, I returned to the underground tunnel.
Sapir Cohen
(Photo : Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Inside the tunnel, there is no light at all. Sometimes a terrorist would turn on a flashlight, but still, I could see nothing. There is no air either. One of the terrorists had an oxygen cylinder; there was this time when I had trouble breathing so he let me use it. However, when in the tunnel no one can hear you, so you can speak loudly, unless it annoys the terrorist.
There were some tunnels with electrical infrastructure, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. The senior terrorist who was guarding my group had some knowledge of electricity, so now and then he would fix it. Sometimes there were batteries available, and I also saw generators there, but it didn't help us.
The tunnels are damp, and you constantly have to wipe the water that drips from the ceiling onto the walls and floor. The five thin mattresses we slept on were also soaked. The humidity caused mold, and the smell was so terrible that it was impossible to fall asleep. When I went from the houses back to the tunnel I took a Q-tip I found there, and a day later it turned green. People developed skin diseases, and wounds started appearing on their bodies. They scratched because there were lice and fleas, and you couldn't shower. We looked pale, with dark circles under the eyes.
In the tunnel, there is nothing to do besides talking to the other hostages. Also, there is no sense of time. At first, I had no idea when it was morning or night because everything looked the same. But the terrorists prayed five times a day, so I was able to tell, roughly, what part of the day it was.
The main food you get is pita bread. When there were no pitas, we would eat nothing. Since every tunnel with hostages is located adjacent to a house, one of the terrorists would climb the ladder, take food, and bring it down. There was this time when the house near us was bombed and the children there were seriously injured by shrapnel, so whoever lived there did not allow providing us with any food at all.
There was a small refrigerator in the tunnel, but of course, it didn't work. There was also a tap with salted water, and it didn't always work either; so, if the terrorists didn't provide us water - we wouldn't drink. We tried to save food, but the pita would get dry and moldy after a day. Our tunnel had a gas unit, and when it had gas in it, we would heat the pita so it would be easier to bite.
We would try to find ways to take food without the terrorists noticing, to hide it and remove the mold from it. The terrorists held daily "meetings", they would go into a nearby room, so we managed to take pitas and hide them. Still, there were days when there was no light, no electricity, no gas, no water, and no food.
We were lucky to have toilets in our tunnel, which was unusual because other groups of hostages didn't have any at all, or they had ones that wouldn't flush. I know that this was the case in the tunnel where they held the elders. There was no medical treatment either. There was a hostage with me whose leg was injured and swollen, and he was limping. There was nothing we could do about it.
The tunnels in Gaza are so ramified that even terrorists had trouble finding their way around. You need to have someone who knows it well and can tell where to go and which turn to take. I heard from other hostages that they had to walk underground for hours because the terrorists who held them didn't know how and where to go.
Each group of hostages had several terrorists who served as guards. Some terrorists carried their weapons in public and some hid their weapons. Now and then we would hear a weapon being cocked, which is petrifying. We were mostly afraid that Israeli soldiers would try to rescue us because we knew that in this case, the terrorists would shoot at us.
All this time I knew I was underground in Gaza and was surrounded by terrorists, but I didn't internalize it. For a certain period, I lived in another world, disconnected, as if something happened to my body. But things change. I met hostages who didn't know what happened to their families, or those whose family members were murdered in front of their eyes, and I felt the need to put my problems aside and help them. I said to myself that no matter what, I would do everything in my power to help, bring them food, and talk to them. That's what kept me going. This has become my life's mission.
Sapir Cohen, 30,was abducted on October 7 from her partner's house, Alex (Sasha) Trufanov, in Kibbutz Nir Oz. She was released with his mother Yelena and his grandmother Irena Tati in the final swap deal after spending 55 days in captivity. Her partner Trufanov is still in captivity. Other armies are already learning from us / Prof. Kobi Michael
In the Iron Swords War, the IDF was exposed to a different reality in Gaza from the one it once knew, or thought it knew, because IDF's last maneuver in the field occurred a decade earlier, in Operation 'Protective Edge'.
They knew that Gaza was networked with tunnels, but never imagined they would discover tunnels in such dimensions in terms of their scope, depth, system, and sophistication, including the connecting points between the various tunnels. They did not know that the underground network allowed Hamas terrorists to enter the tunnel in the Philadelphi corridor and end up above the ground in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. They did not realize that hostages could stay inside for a long period and did not know that they were connected to civilian infrastructures such as hospitals. The professional building of the tunnel network indicates that they used external help and expertise.
The IDF needed quite a long learning time to deal with the tunnels that were gradually unfolding, since entering the tunnels is complex to begin with – usually via hidden, narrow, and sometimes very deep shafts.
But over time they managed to deal with it, and could also tell the difference between tactical tunnels that were used for combat and attacks, and strategic tunnels that included equipped and advanced command and control rooms, which supported the tactical tunnels and were essential for Hamas activity.The next challenge the IDF had to face was how to destroy the tunnels. After various strategies were examined, such as flooding, which was proved unsuccessful, other methods were developed, apart from the use of explosives. The IDF continues to this day to uncover the underground infrastructure, but it is complex due to the enormous number of tunnels and their ramified structure. Moreover, the tunnels must first be discovered.
The tunnel in Rafah where the bodies of the six hostages were found at the end of August, was unfolded almost by accident since its shaft was hidden inside a children's room in a residential building. Imagine how many more shafts are out there, especially in densely populated or ruined areas.
However, the IDF has already learned about the close connection between the civilian infrastructure, the population, and the tunnels. Not only do they know that Gaza citizens participate in the digging, but they know also about the critical importance that Hamas attaches to the symbiosis between life above and below the ground: there may be a shaft in every school and a tunnel under every hospital. The connection between the upper construction and the lower construction adds to the complexity.
As a result, the IDF has developed a new theory for underground warfare. There is no other army in the world that faces such a threat at such a level. And apparently, this is not over yet. Until the IDF leaves the Gaza Strip - if they ever will - they will continue to learn, improve, and develop capabilities and new fighting methods. Other armies worldwide are already learning from the IDF.
The bad news is that Hamas tunnels are not an unusual phenomenon among our enemies. We discovered the giant tunnels penetrating from Lebanon already in 2018, and only recently, underground routes - albeit short ones - were located in Tulkarm and Jenin as well. This will have consequences on the IDF's forces, which will require more engineering forces, expanding units such as the Yahalom (Special Operations Engineering Unit), and investing in the development of combat measures and methods.
Prof. Kobi Michael is a senior researcher at INSS and Misgav Institute
I crawled between the crumbling walls / Staff Sergeant D.
During the war, I did everything in the tunnels - I scanned, destroyed, ran into combats, and even rescued bodies of hostages. On the one hand, fighting underground involves a greater risk, because if something happens you are in trouble: it is complex to get assistance from the outside, and the only ones who can help you are your comrades who are with you. On the other hand, it is a relatively quiet place, and if we reach it, it means that the odds of encountering the enemy there are not high.
It wasn't discussed much in Israel, but some fighting in the tunnels of the Gaza Strip took place already a decade ago, in Operation 'Protective Edge'. Based on this experience, among other things, we trained for underground activity long before the 'Iron Swords' war began. Did we know what we were getting ourselves into? We didn't expect everything we saw there this time, but the truth is, there was nothing we encountered that we couldn't handle.
Before entering the tunnels, there is excitement among the soldiers. I cannot define it as "fear", but we feel we were trained for a unique mission and know that we are ready for it despite the dangers involved. Besides, we had time to prepare ourselves mentally, because, in the beginning, we were mostly busy destroying the tunnels that were found. It took a while until we engaged in rescuing and encountering terrorists.
Before we enter the tunnels there is a preparation phase. We use technologies and intelligence to understand what is happening down there. Sometimes we know in advance where the rooms of senior officials are located. But still, we enter with caution. The danger is always there. You can always miss a booby trap or confront an ambush at any given moment.
I can't remember how many tunnels I entered, but there were lots of them. The sense of danger hovers above you all the time. You feel the sand falling on you, and you see that the walls are shaking. Most tunnels are about 27 inches wide and 5.6 feet high. I have also seen lower ones or ones that are crumbling. Sometimes I would find myself crawling between half-ruined walls that had collapsed inward. On the other hand, there are also large tunnels with rooms, showers, and running water. Once we were surprised to discover a tunnel that had nice toilets, air conditioning, and lots of water. They didn't build it for a week's stay but planned it for years ahead.
In the other tunnels the oxygen level is reasonable, and we were able to breathe during the activity, but it is impossible to stay there for a long time. They have mold, gases, and dust. We monitor the air quality when we are inside, and if the oxygen level is too low - we plan.
In most tunnels, we don't expect to find hostages alive. We focus on scanning and task completion. But as mentioned, there were cases when we entered and found bodies. Some were in such bad shape that we didn't recognize they were corpses. Once, at a depth of 82 feet, we found corpses in an advanced state of decay inside white sacks. The sight of it doesn’t leave you, especially when it's the first time you have to handle it, but today we are trained.
The only difference is the fighting inside a tunnel as compared to fighting outdoors, where you can see at a distance what's ahead of you and sometimes take cover. In the tunnel everything is limited. The terrorists can suddenly surface and strike. Therefore, the fighters who stand first in line know that they are at the greatest risk. If something happens - they get hit first.
We mainly engaged in destroying tunnels, one tunnel after the other, either by using explosives that we placed manually, or by airstrikes. But beforehand we do everything in our power to make sure there are no hostages inside; this can take days and thus delay the operation, but there is no other choice. The fear that there might be Israelis inside never leaves you.
We still ask ourselves if our operations destroy the tunnels completely or if Hamas can come after we're done, clear some rubble, and reuse them. As far as I can judge, considering my activity since the beginning of the war, we neutralize them completely. Whoever wishes to reuse these tunnels will have to dig and rebuild them. Yes, we discovered an elaborate underground tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, certainly more complex than we expected, but I think we can destroy it all. It's only a matter of time.
Staff Sergeant D. is a fighter in an elite unit.
Like running up a descending escalator / Brigadier General (res.) Ido Mizrahi
Hamas is a sub-state terrorist organization that uses the underground to store its military and other assets. This is their only way to offset the absolute advantages of Israel and the IDF. As much as Israel enhanced its capabilities in technology and the air force - Hamas deepened its capabilities underground and expanded the "underground infrastructure". I use this term because it is important to clarify: These are not just tunnels. Many of the important assets and means of Hamas – military headquarters, production workshops, and storehouses - are underground.
Handling this subterranean complex requires a continuous learning effort. It is equivalent to running up a descending escalator: you can't stand still. As you level up, the enemy also makes its next move - deeper and more hidden. In the Iron Swords war, we learned how wide and deep this underground network of Hamas is really like.
At this stage we have very good control in the field - one should never say "absolute" - and we use it for learning. This is one of the most beautiful processes I've seen until I finished serving as Commander of the military's Combat Engineering Corp in January 2024; since then I have continued watching it from the outside: a military unit encounters a certain challenge, deals with it, learns lessons from it, the knowledge is passed on to the neighboring units, then to the entire military and civilian system, and then relevant solutions are offered to handle the problem. Sometimes it involves the top of technology and sometimes it uses medieval low-tech.
Since the main characteristic of the underground network in Gaza is concealment, it is very difficult to know what is under our feet; therefore, a great effort is invested in gathering intelligence, and technology and in locating and mapping the tunnels, long before the neutralization stage occurs.
To neutralize the tunnels, we tried almost every possible solution, be it technological or other, and every idea that came up was granted legal approval by international law. One of the solutions, which was also published in the media, was the "Atlantis" project, in which we channeled seawater into the tunnels. But the ground in the strip is too sandy and a large part of the water seeped through it. To make it work, you needed a substance that could move and not be absorbed. I will not go into details about how long we tried it and to what extent it eventually helped us.
Fighting underground requires unique training. It is not suitable for every soldier. As in many fields in the IDF, here too there is a wide range of skills. That is: some units have undergone a few weeks of basic training in underground warfare, and there are units such as Yahalom (Special Operations Engineering Unit), whose soldiers train for months for tunnel warfare. The training is carried out in special training facilities that simulate an underground infrastructure.
In the field, one of the most significant challenges in underground warfare is that once you send a force into the tunnel, it is very difficult to communicate and know what's happening. Fortunately, we are the army of the "Startup Nation", and after presenting this problem to the defense industry, they came up with a solution, in an impressively short time. This is not a case of "fire and forget". Still, this is a very risky fighting, compared to a classic ground operation, but everyone who enters the tunnel is provided with communication devices that enable them to portray a situational picture and also keep the troops safe.
We are still using all the knowledge we have accumulated until October 7, 2023, but there have been developments and changes in tactics since then. Every team that has operated underground since then has learned lessons of do's and don'ts. Some of them are tactical, and some are at a higher level, which requires building a new capability, a new technology, to gather new intelligence on a scenario we haven't encountered before. Learning lessons during a war is not obvious. The IDF does it impressively.
Brigadier General (res.) Ido Mizrahi is the former Commander of IDF Combat Engineering Corp.
No one can tell if the damages caused by the tunnels are reversible / Prof. Silvana Fennig.
Many of the returned hostages that were treated by us spent most of their captivity time in houses of families, and they went underground only when bombings were taking place. The time spent in the tunnels must have been terrible for them, partly due to a lack of stimuli and light. The sense of claustrophobia and the lack of air make it difficult not only physically but mainly psychologically. The long-term damages are also mainly mental.
Despite the deficiencies and the weight loss, the children did not experience anything physical that might be irreversible, however, the psychological damage is not always reversible. I cannot tell what the future holds for them, but generally speaking, children who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder might experience anxiety and depression even years later. The terrible fear of death may affect one's personality fundamentally.
They suffer a complex trauma because they were taken to captivity after experiencing a previous trauma. They were hiding for hours in terrible fear, and after they were pulled out of their hiding place they witnessed murder and horrible sights; with these images in mind, they were taken to Gaza. Everything adds up.
Their coping depends on how they spend their time in captivity. If they were with a family there, then the situation is completely different than being alone. The children who were there with their parents experienced a certain sense of security, and this is also true for the adults who went through it along with someone close. This is very helpful for survival; we know it for a fact from both research on the Holocaust and the experience of Yom Kippur War captive soldiers.
When the hostages returned, after the celebration and all the excitement around them, they returned to a shattered community, as evacuees, without a home. The gap between the collective joy of millions of Israelis and their individual story is not simple. They continue their life routine while they are no longer in the news headlines, and they are no longer the heroes. We took this into account when we decided to reduce stimuli - including limiting the number of visitors, even the happy ones - because transitions are not easy.
We usually operate by evidence-based study rules and techniques with worldwide supporting scientific evidence, but there are no guidelines available for treating children who returned from captivity during a war because it is extremely rare. We knew that we would have to 'learn on the go'. Professionals base their treatment on past studies and professional literature, and here we had nothing to base our work on.
In total we received 26 people, 19 of them were children. We built an inpatient care ward for both young and adults, away from the media, to reduce damage. It was a quiet, sterile, and remote area, with as little stimulation and noise as possible. We had to act at their pace, follow them step by step, respect their routines and rituals, and hear and listen, without pre-built formulas.
Beyond the obvious physical medical needs, it was important, psychologically speaking, that they return to a place that can provide professional help. But we knew that our help was only temporary. We were debating whether it was right to bring them back home directly from captivity. Unfortunately, most of them didn't have a home to return to, anyway. They were evacuated from their homes.
Prof. Silvana Fennig is a pediatric psychiatrist and Director of the Department of Psychological Medicine at Schneider Children’s Medical Center.link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
Bibi: The Abandonment of the Hostages is Etched in Letters of Blood
on your Forehead
Ilan Kafir
Former senior journalist, biographer, and researcher of Israel's wars.
We are in the midst of the worst disaster that the State of Israel has ever experienced, and the responsibility for this disaster is spelled out in bold letters made of blood on the forehead of one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man responsible for abandoning the hostages.
Bibi, you are personally responsible for the fate of the hostages and for each and every one of the murdered and fallen in the Gaza Envelope, at the Nova music festival, and the hundreds of fallen Israel Defense Forces fighters. Every single time a proposal for the release of hostages is on the agenda, you reject it for fear that your messianic partners will bring down your government. On one occasion, when a deal was possible, you said you supported the release of some of them. And what about the others? Are you sentencing them to death in Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar's tunnels?
In your support of the interests of Sinwar, the Hamas chief murderer, you brought this disaster upon us. In 2018 Yahya Sinwar sent you a personal letter in both Hebrew and Arabic that read, "Bibi, take a calculated risk"—thus expressing your shared interest in toppling the Palestinian Authority. It was an important goal for him, but as a Jihadist, he had a more important, satanic objective - to topple the State of Israel by committing a murderous massacre.
For five days, you prevented the formation of the War Cabinet for fear that the glory of victory would shift from you to Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Yoav Gallant.
Your slogan about toppling Hamas and eliminating its leaders is nothing more than a hollow statement. With no goals for the war and its end, we were forced to return to Shuja'iyya for the third time and pay a heavy price in the lives of our finest soldiers. You created the false impression that the city of Rafah was Stalingrad. And all this—for your political survival.
In your inner circle, the operation to free four hostages was called "Entebbe 2." In the Entebbe operation, which took place on July 4, 1976, your brother Yoni fell in battle. You pale in comparison: Yoni died in a battle to free hostages. Today he would be ashamed of you. You never had any interest in the fate of the hostages. Your partners contaminated you with the delusional thought that the demonstrations of the families on behalf of the hostages were and are an expression of defeat, and it is the families who are preventing victory in the war. On December 1st, 2023, there was a possibility to release adult hostages. We saw documentation of four of them alive, but you left them to die. Their blood is on your hands.
The entire nation realizes that you are detached from reality. We watched you as you smiled gleefully in a Pyrrhic victory on the first reading of the Evasion Act, which exempts the Ultra-Orthodox from serving in the IDF. You already knew that very morning that four IDF soldiers had fallen in battle in Gaza. We did not hear one word of condolence from you.
You are like the captain of the Titanic - you saw the iceberg and the danger, but you did not stop. The orchestra continued to play on board, and you led us into oblivion.
Bibi, we are the majority of the people who are not willing to have you burn the country down, as your wife threatened. We suspect that you want to see the country go up in flames like Emperor Nero.
Air Force pilots saved the country on the night of the Iranian missiles. Isn't it time for you to apologize to those your partners called traitors?
You surrounded your home in Caesarea with a fortified wall, concrete blocks, barbed wire, and Border Police recruits.
Bibi, it won't help you. The wall will fall.
Member of Knesset Yair Lapid said of you: "There will be nothing left of you. Not a museum, not a square, not a fountain, just one thing - the Seventh of October."
In May 1999, after Ehud Barak defeated you in the elections, you called out to your wife: "Off we go, Sarah dear.”
Oh, how we yearn to hear you repeat those words and melody: "Off we go, Sarah dear...". And this time, you will be gone for good!
Acronyms and Glossary
COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0 Twitter - @LonnyB58
We are continuously learning of more and more of the information that the powers that be had prior to October 7 and did little to nothing. So much is still not known. Most will come out in the Official Committee of Inquiry after the war, but some of that information will not be made public due to security concerns. Following is the information that is public knowledge as of today and is documented. It is presented relatively chronologically but some aspects ran in parallel throughout same and different periods of time. 1. Six years ago, Hamas launched its own television station: Al-Aqsa TV. The station quickly became a highly-effective propaganda tool, which Hamas continues to use to preach its message of hatred of the West, Jews, and Israel. “A fictional series on Palestinian TV last year seemingly predicted key elements of Hamas’ Oct. 7 sneak assault on Israel — from the terrorists’ white vans to targeted kibbutzim and the abduction of Israeli soldiers.” 1 ...
October 7th painted our lives in black and white. They abducted our loved ones and left us empty, leaving our lives devoid of color and taste.There is not a moment of the day that we do not imagine them returning to us - the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for a proper burial.We have to bring color back to our lives.We have to bring them all back home. Now!
An IDF soldier inside a Hamas tunnel (Photo: AP / Victor R. Caivano)A year has passed, and the horror has not faded. In some respects, and certainly after presenting videos of the dark tunnel where Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi, Carmel Gat, and Alex Lobanov were murdered at the end of August, the fear has intensified.
And yet, since the onset of the ground maneuver about 11 months ago, we know much more about the massive underground network that Palestinian terrorist organizations have dug under the Gaza Strip over the years. This was made possible due to the countless hours of IDF soldiers operating inside it, but tragically more so, thanks to firsthand stories of hostages who have returned, helping to shed light on the life, if you can call it that, inside the tunnels. Here are monologues by five people who summarize what Israel knows about the most significant strategic asset held by the Gazan enemy.
I said to the terrorists: Maybe it's better to be down in the tunnel / Sapir Cohen
After a long walk, during which I stepped with my bare feet on nails and other unfamiliar objects, I was brought to a place that looked like a shelter, with concrete and thick walls, and I was ordered to enter the elevator. The "elevator" was a concrete block that somehow moved vertically. I didn't know I was in a tunnel because I entered straight into a space with porcelain paving, but I quickly learned that there are "tunnels" and there are "passages between the tunnels", through which one can cross from one space to another. A "passage" is, for example, the narrow tunnel where the bodies of the six murdered hostages were found at the end of August. These are the narrow, low, and arched passageways that Israelis know from the pictures.
After spending a few days in an underground tunnel, I climbed up using a ladder, and I was moved through the passages to houses located above the ground. All the houses I was held in were connected by tunnels. When I stayed in the houses I would hear terrible bombings and thought it would be better to be down, inside the tunnel; but when I told this to the terrorists, their answer was: "No. If there is a bombing you will suffocate down there." Still, after a short while, I returned to the underground tunnel.
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