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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the bodies of six more hostages, the IDF said on August 20. Throughout 10 months of operations in Gaza, Israeli forces have sought to recover hostages, both living and dead. In Jabaliya in May, for instance, the IDF recovered the remains of seven hostages.
The “bodies of the hostages Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry” were recovered from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the IDF said. The remains were recovered in an operation that took place overnight between August 19 and 20. The 98th Division, which knows Khan Younis well from eight months of fighting, led the operation, which included a mix of paratroopers, combat engineers, and other units.
The recovery took place as Israel has called on civilians to leave areas near Khan Younis over the last several days. It also happened as the IDF expanded a raid into central Gaza in Deir al-Balah, one of the areas Hamas has controlled since October 7 and where the IDF has not previously operated in force. The 7th Armored Brigade is taking part in fighting in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. “The troops are eliminating terrorists, destroying combat compounds above and below ground. In one such compound, troops of the 603rd Battalion located dozens of rockets, launchers, and several anti-tank missiles,” the IDF noted.
The raid uncovered a tunnel around a mile long. “Along the tunnel route, an active compound of Hamas terrorists was located where weapons, explosives, and equipment for long-term stay were found—used by the terrorists who left the compound as the troops arrived,” the IDF said.
The latest find illustrates how Hamas continues to operate tunnels in Gaza. While many of these underground passages have been demolished in northern and southern Gaza, tunnel networks remain, and some have not been fully uncovered or explored. In central Gaza, the IDF has not operated extensively in areas such as Nuseirat, Deir al-Balah, Bureij, or Maghazi, meaning the underground infrastructure that existed prior to October 7 may be largely intact.
In the past, air strikes have not been effective at destroying tunnels. The IDF learned this lesson in Khan Younis and Jabaliya, where it took large ground operations to uncover and demolish the tunnel infrastructure.
The discovery of the mile-long tunnel and the operation to recover the hostages’ remains happened as Hamas rejected the latest ceasefire deal. Thus, the IDF will continue operations in Gaza for the foreseeable future. The current tempo of operations is less intense than earlier in the war, now consisting of precise raids and limited airstrikes.
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