The tunnels beneath Gaza remain a central battleground in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and for former Israeli hostage Tal Shoham, they were a suffocating prison where he endured more than 500 days of captivity. Shoham, one of the hostages released during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, has revealed chilling details about his time underground, where he was subjected to psychological and physical torment while Hamas operatives continued their relentless expansion of an underground tunnel network known as “the Metro.”
According to Shoham, Hamas’ vast network of underground tunnels stretches from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south, a complex maze allowing militants to evade Israeli airstrikes and launch operations undetected. Even as Israeli forces bombarded Gaza from above, Hamas’s excavation teams worked around the clock, using electric demolition hammers to expand the subterranean web beneath the enclave. Shoham recalled being forced to walk for more than two hours through the tunnels after his initial abduction, stunned by their sheer scale and sophistication. His captors claimed that one could traverse the entire length of Gaza underground within five days, boasting of new branches being carved out daily.
Shoham, 40, was held in captivity for 505 days, nearly half of which he spent buried 60 feet underground in a three-foot-wide tunnel shaft. He described descending into a multi-level underground structure, initially believing he was being taken to see a doctor. Instead, he was forced into a suffocatingly narrow space where three other hostages were already being held. The space was so confined that the four men could not sit in a circle to play cards. Their guards installed surveillance cameras to prevent them from attempting suicide and strictly controlled their rations, giving them a single set of plastic utensils that remained unwashed for over 200 days.
Survival conditions in the tunnel were brutal. Shoham recalled how the air was damp and oxygen levels were low, making it difficult to breathe. The stench of food from the guards’ air-conditioned quarters above would waft down, a cruel reminder of the deprivation they suffered. He lost more than 60 pounds in captivity, dropping from 179 to 110 pounds, as he and his fellow hostages counted individual grains of rice to ensure fair portions. Shoham said their captors admitted they were intentionally starving them so that, when released, their skeletal frames would fuel outrage and pressure the Israeli government into brokering further deals.
Throughout his captivity, Shoham battled not only physical deterioration but also psychological torment. He was kidnapped from his home in the kibbutz of Be’eri in southern Israel, separated from his wife and two children. For weeks, he agonized over their fate, mentally preparing himself for the worst. He envisioned their funerals, imagining himself delivering eulogies over their graves. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done,” he said. “But I needed to let them go.”
Shoham’s anguish turned to relief when he later learned that his family had survived and had been among the 50 hostages—mostly women and children—released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023. However, his suffering had only just begun. His health declined rapidly due to extreme malnutrition, and he developed an infection in his mouth that caused excruciating pain. The swelling in his legs rendered him nearly immobile, leading his fellow hostages to grimly nickname him a “dead man walking.” Hamas eventually sent a medic to examine him, but they were unable to diagnose the problem. He was given antibiotics, but it was not until his release that Israeli doctors identified the issue—advanced scurvy, a disease linked to prolonged vitamin deficiency that was common among sailors centuries ago.
Hamas’ cruelty extended beyond neglect. Shoham described a tunnel foreman who regularly beat them with a crowbar, once striking fellow hostage Omer Wenkert so hard that it left a dent in his skull. Afterward, the same captor would demand that they massage him and ask them why they did not love him, a twisted display of sadism. These acts of violence and psychological manipulation were a daily reality for the captives.
Hamas’ tunnel system, which Israeli forces have struggled to neutralize fully, proved to be a key survival mechanism for the group. Despite continuous bombings, Shoham said Hamas operatives assured him that the Metro’s main artery remained intact. His captors boasted that they could navigate underground undetected, with ongoing construction ensuring the network’s expansion. Israeli officials have described the tunnel system as a strategic stronghold that allows Hamas to sustain its operations while shielding its leadership from direct attacks.
Shoham’s release came as part of a ceasefire agreement in February 2024, in which 25 hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. By the time he was handed over to the Red Cross, his captors had begun feeding him more to improve his condition before his release. He regained some weight in those final weeks, reaching 124 pounds when he was finally flown back to Israel.
While Shoham is now free, 59 Israeli hostages—both civilians and soldiers—remain in Hamas captivity. Negotiations for their release have stalled, with Hamas demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for a deal. The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has faced mounting pressure to secure the remaining hostages’ freedom while maintaining military operations in the region.
The world has now seen the devastating effects of Hamas’s hostage-taking tactics, with images of emaciated captives sparking international outrage. Shoham’s testimony offers a rare glimpse into the grim reality of life inside Gaza’s tunnels—an underground battlefield where captives are subjected to starvation, isolation, and brutality. His account reinforces concerns about the humanitarian toll of the ongoing conflict and the complexity of efforts to dismantle Hamas’s deeply entrenched network.
For Shoham, the nightmare is over, but the scars—both physical and emotional—remain. His story stands as a testament to resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering and a stark reminder of the high-stakes conflict that continues to unfold both above and beneath the surface of Gaza.
