A source from Hamas told a Saudi news outlet that hostages in Gaza were sometimes kept just meters away from Israeli soldiers. On several occasions, troops were directly above tunnels where the hostages were hidden, requiring Hamas to mislead or distract the soldiers to move the captives. The source claimed that Hamas was under strict orders to preserve both living and deceased hostages to use them as bargaining chips with Israel. Living hostages were frequently moved between tunnels and apartments to avoid detection, while the bodies of those who died were buried in tunnels or areas controlled by allied factions.