The deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered in the Gaza Strip in August are likely linked to an Israeli air strike against Hamas near where they were being held, the military said Wednesday.
“At the time of the attack, the military had no information, not even a suspicion, that the hostages were in or near the underground complex,” the military said in a statement on the investigation into the deaths.
“If such information had been available, the attack would not have been carried out,” they added.
The note highlights that it was “highly likely that their deaths were related to the attack near the place where they were held”, although the exact circumstances were not yet clear.
Israel analyzes circumstances of deaths
The military commented that the airstrike took place in February, while the bodies of the hostages were recovered in late August.
The most plausible scenario was that they were shot at the time of the attack. It was also possible that they had already been killed, or that they were shot after they were killed.
“Due to the long time that passed, it was not possible to clearly determine the cause of death of the hostages or the exact moment of the shots,” they pointed out.
An Israeli military official said in a briefing that one change the military has implemented since the bodies of the hostages were recovered in August is to ensure that captured people are not in the vicinity before ordering an attack.
The officer highlighted that the military’s understanding was that combatants “were killed due to secondary effects of our attack”, such as lack of oxygen, but that many details of the case could not be fully confirmed.
The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families, which is fighting for the return of people still trapped in Gaza, said the findings “serve as further proof that the lives of hostages face constant, daily danger” and that time is of the essence.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel has carried out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since last year, after Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli Army carries out land incursions into Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced.
The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
The Israeli population is constantly protesting against Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so that the hostages can be released.
This content was originally published in Israel says deaths of six hostages may be linked to Israeli attack on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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