IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari released a statement on Thursday in which he discussed the joint IDF and ISA mission to recover the bodies of five Israelis that were being held by Hamas in Gaza.
"The Hamas terror organization abducted our hostages into their tunnels, 20 meters below the city of Khan Yunis. This was underneath an area that was previously designated as a Humanitarian Area by the IDF, an area for Gazan civilians to move away from the battlefield and receive humanitarian aid and shelter. Hamas exploited the Humanitarian Area and used it to hold our hostages captive," he stated.