Israel Holds Bodies Of 5 Slain Gaza Tunnel Militants
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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel is holding the bodies of five Islamic Jihad terrorists killed in the Gaza terror tunnel that the Israel Defense Forces blew up last week.
The IDF said on Sunday that it is holding the bodies, days after Hamas, which controls Gaza, asked to be allowed to search for the missing men.
The tunnel which the IDF blew up on Monday stretched from Khan Younis in Gaza to Israel and is believed to have been dug after the 2014 Gaza war. The tunnel was under “active construction” at the time of its demolition. At least 12 Gazan Palestinians were killed and 11 injured in the blast, according to reports. Most of those in the tunnel at the time of the explosion were members of the Islamic Jihad terror group.
The IDF Spokesman said that the bodies were discovered during supplementary activities to close up the tunnel.
“The bodies of the five martyrs will not remain for long in Israel’s hands. We know how to recover bodies of our people,” Islamic Jihad said in response to the news that Israel is holding the bodies, Ynet reported. “The campaign continues and will not end.”
It is believed that the terror group was alluding to capturing Israeli soldiers and holding them to exchange for the bodies.
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