At the end of a tunnel lined with explosives in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers discovered small cells where the military says Hamas was holding about 20 hostages.

Inside the tunnel were a storage area, five small rooms behind metal bars, toilets, mattresses and even drawings by a child who was freed in November, said military spokesman Daniel Hagari.

No hostages were in the tunnel when soldiers discovered it.

The Israeli military released photos of the underground labyrinth and said it had brought journalists to the site to document the findings before destroying the tunnel. Her entry, according to Hagari, was at the home of a Hamas member in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza city where fighting has been focused in recent weeks.

“The soldiers entered the tunnel where they were confronted by terrorists, a battle started which ended with the terrorists being killed,” Hagari said, explaining that the area was rigged with explosives.

“According to the testimonies we have, about 20 hostages were held in the tunnel at various times, under harsh conditions, without sunlight, with little oxygen and horrible humidity, which makes it difficult to breathe,” he said.

Some of the hostages held there were released in November during a Qatar-brokered ceasefire. Others are among the 130 still remaining in Gaza.