By: Fern Sidman

In a development that has stirred international attention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released rare video footage on Wednesday from inside Hamas’ underground tunnel network, shedding light on the stark contrast between the lives of the group’s operatives and the humanitarian conditions experienced by Gaza’s civilian population. The videos, publicized by Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-speaking spokesperson, offer what i24 News describes as an unfiltered view into the subterranean strongholds of Iran-backed Hamas fighters amid the ongoing military conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Starvation? Bloody Lies.

Recent footage of operatives from Hamas’s military wing enjoying food and fruit like kings in one of Hamas’s tunnels in the Strip. pic.twitter.com/gVe0YEHhQ0

— ((🆆3⃣🅱🆂🜃🅶3⃣)) 🇮🇱 I Stand with Israel! 🇮🇱 (@w3bsag3) July 23, 2025

The footage, shared across official Israeli platforms and covered by i24 News, shows Hamas operatives seated around tables stacked with food—lavish meals that starkly contradict the repeated claims by Hamas officials that their people are facing starvation and deprivation. According to Adraee, the food captured in the videos did not originate from international humanitarian aid deliveries but was instead privately stockpiled by Hamas for the use of its own operatives.

“While Hamas leaders accuse Israel of starving the population of Gaza, the terrorists themselves are filmed gorging on food that did not arrive as part of humanitarian aid,” Adraee stated in a caption accompanying the footage, as reported by i24 News. He went on to accuse Hamas of orchestrating a campaign of deception aimed at both its own people and the broader international community.

The images, which show clean, well-lit rooms with stockpiles of food and bottled water, challenge the narrative frequently propagated by Hamas, in which the group portrays itself as the last line of defense for an impoverished and besieged Palestinian population. Instead, the videos suggest a leadership that has insulated itself from the hardships facing ordinary Gazans while leveraging the suffering of civilians as part of its information war against Israel.

Here are some Hamasholes eating in their terror tunnel and laughing about how well they’re eating. They didn’t mean for this video to get out. pic.twitter.com/0kZbzBNblQ

— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) July 23, 2025

According to Adraee, the underground footage is not merely about food—it reveals a deeper moral and operational schism. “They are not heroes—they are thieves who care only about themselves,” Adraee said in Arabic, directing his remarks squarely at Gaza’s residents. “They hide in tunnels out of fear of the consequences of their crimes, and they leave you to face the price to be paid.”

The footage was released in the context of Israel’s continued military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure following the group’s October 7 attacks, in which over 1,200 people were brutally murdered and which led to the abduction of more than 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli forces have made significant inroads into the Gaza Strip, uncovering and neutralizing a vast network of tunnels that Hamas has used for combat operations, smuggling, and refuge.

The latest revelations are not the first time Israeli officials have pointed to a glaring disconnect between the Hamas leadership and the broader Gazan population. As i24 News has previously reported, the IDF has uncovered multiple hideouts containing not just food but also large sums of cash and weapons caches, leading to growing international scrutiny of how aid is distributed and who ultimately benefits from it.

Israeli officials contend that such findings underscore the exploitation of humanitarian aid by Hamas, which they argue is not used to alleviate civilian suffering but to sustain its militant operations. This perspective has fueled calls for tighter oversight on aid shipments into Gaza, especially after repeated discoveries of goods being hoarded in tunnel complexes while civilians above ground face shortages of basic supplies.

In the wake of the video’s release, Israeli analysts quoted by i24 News noted that Hamas’ strategic use of tunnels represents not only a military tactic but also a political instrument. By maintaining these underground sanctuaries, the group’s leadership effectively shields itself from direct confrontation while continuing to disseminate messages of resistance and martyrdom to a population increasingly ravaged by war.

Moreover, the footage offers critical insights into Hamas’ internal hierarchy and its ability to prioritize its own survival over the needs of the people it claims to defend. The scenes of fighters dining underground stand in stark contrast to recent reports of famine-like conditions in some parts of Gaza, particularly in the north, where aid groups have warned of looming humanitarian catastrophe.

International reaction to the footage is still unfolding, but within Israel, the response has been swift. Government officials have pointed to the material as further justification for continued military pressure on Hamas. “This footage confirms what we have been saying all along,” one senior Israeli official told i24 News. “Hamas does not represent the people of Gaza—it exploits them, hides behind them, and uses their suffering as a tool of war.”

While the footage has reinforced Israel’s narrative of Hamas as an entrenched and cynical actor, the IDF’s decision to publish the material also appears to serve a psychological and informational objective. As the report at i24 News explained, the message was directed not only at the international community but also at Gazans themselves, many of whom have been exposed to relentless messaging from Hamas blaming Israel for the conditions in the Strip.

“This is not just about military strategy—it’s about breaking the myth of Hamas as resistance fighters,” an Israeli intelligence source told i24 News. “When the people of Gaza see that their supposed defenders are feasting underground while they suffer above, the illusion of shared struggle begins to collapse.”

The IDF’s communications strategy has increasingly sought to differentiate between Hamas and Gaza’s civilian population, a critical distinction in the face of growing international scrutiny over Israel’s conduct in the war. By exposing what it describes as Hamas’ hypocrisy, the Israeli military hopes to not only delegitimize the group but also to galvanize support for continued operations aimed at dismantling its infrastructure and leadership.

As fighting continues, the footage released this week adds another layer to the complex narrative of the war in Gaza—a war fought not just with rockets and rifles, but with an insidious Hamas propaganda campaign that is imbibed by the mainstream media. For now, the IDF’s video from beneath Gaza’s surface stands as a potent symbol of the subterranean realities that shape both the physical and political terrain of the conflict.

The implications of such revelations could be far-reaching—not just in the context of Israel’s military strategy, but in shaping the post-war understanding of Hamas’ rule and the suffering it has wrought upon the very population it claims to defend.