Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip

By OHAD ZWIGENBERG
Associated Press

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says it has found evidence that hostages were present in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, which has become the focus of Israel’s ground offensive. The military on Wednesday showed the tunnel to journalists who were escorted into a neighborhood near the ruins of destroyed homes and streets. A corrugated tin hut covered the tunnel’s entrance in a residential yard. The tunnel was hot and humid, with walls lined with concrete and electrical wires. Farther inside was a bathroom, where the military said it found evidence that hostages had been there, including their DNA. A military spokesman did not elaborate.