IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir met with released hostages Liri Albag, Romi Gonen, Omer Shem Tov, and Sasha Troufanov on Friday, the military said.
According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, the released hostages said they heard the IDF operating in the Gaza Strip while they were held in the Hamas tunnels and heard Hebrew being spoken as IDF troops were in their vicinity.
"We heard explosions, IDF tank treads, we heard Hebrew, we heard the IDF’s radio communications in Hebrew while we were underground," they were cited as saying.
“I wanted to hear directly from you about your experiences during the time you were held hostage, while IDF soldiers were operating nearby," Zamir told the four.
"The hardships you endured were severe, and yet you radiate strength and resilience that deserves deep respect," he added.
"The return of the hostages and their protection are constantly on our minds — we will continue to act in every possible way to achieve the goals of the war: to return all the hostages home and to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Hamas's tunnels
Kan further reported on Sunday that in the past days, Hamas has continued to build its terror tunnels. According to April reports, the IDF has destroyed only a quarter of the terror group's tunnels in Gaza, military sources estimate.
The KAN report comes as the IDF is readying to broaden its operations in the Gaza Strip, calling up tens of thousands of reservists.
Yuval Levy contributed to this report.