Israel concedes air strikes in southern Gaza may have prompted Hamas to kill six Israeli hostages
Israel believes that 101 Israeli hostages — many pictured in this display at a memorial service in New York — are believed to still be held in Gaza, although it is expected only around half of them are still alive. (Reuters: Adam Gray)
In short:
An Israeli military investigation has suggested Hamas executed six hostages in Gaza because Israel was hitting the nearby area with air strikes.
The bodies of the six men were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza in August, and it is believed they were killed in February.
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Families and supporters of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza said the findings emphasised the danger they face.
Israel says it believes six hostages were likely executed by Hamas in southern Gaza in February because the Israeli military was hitting the area they were being held captive with air strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the findings of an investigation into the killings late on Tuesday, local time, saying it would not have conducted the strikes knowing the hostages were nearby.
The bodies of the six men were retrieved from a tunnel near Khan Younis on August 20, along with the bodies of six Hamas fighters.
A summary of the investigation by the IDF said they had gunshot wounds, while "no gunshot wounds were found on the bodies of the terrorists".
The IDF identified the hostages as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry. (Supplied: @IDF on X)
"Due to the extended time that had passed, it was not possible to determine with complete certainty the precise cause of death of the hostages or the exact timing of the gunfire," the IDF said in a statement.
"It is highly probable that their deaths were related to the strike near the location where they were held.
"According to the most plausible scenario, the terrorists shot the hostages close to the time of the strike."
But the IDF issued a caveat to its findings.
"However, it is also possible that the hostages were shot by other terrorists post-mortem; it is even possible that the hostages were killed prior to the strike in the area," it said.
"At the time of the strike, the IDF had no information, not even a suspicion, that the hostages were in the underground compound or its vicinity.
"Had such information been available, the strike would not have been carried out."
The IDF said it had launched a "precise strike" on an underground Hamas facility in Khan Younis on February 14.
101 Israeli hostages are believed to still be held in Gaza, although it is expected only around half of that cohort are still alive.
Hours after the report was released, the IDF and Israeli security agency Shin Bet announced they had retrieved the body of another hostage from Gaza.
Authorities said Itai Svirski was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri, near the Gaza border, by Hamas on October 7 and had been killed while in captivity.
Hostage families say Israelis in Gaza face constant risks
Advocates for hostages and their families said the report emphasised the risk ongoing military action in Gaza presents to Israelis still being held by Hamas.
"After 425 agonising days, the investigation's findings serve as yet another proof that the lives of hostages face constant, daily danger," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
"Time is of the essence — many of the hostages are still alive and enduring impossible conditions of abuse, starvation, and isolation."
A crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the resident of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday to demand the return of the hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack. (Reuters: Ronen Zvulun)
The group pointed to United States president-elect Donald Trump's pledge earlier in the week that there would be "all hell to pay" if hostages were not released before his inauguration in January.
"As President-elect Donald Trump has emphasised — they must be released before he takes office," the forum said.
"They will not survive captivity until then.
"The current and incoming American administration, along with mediating countries, must do everything necessary to achieve a deal for the hostages' return."
The IDF chief, Herzi Halevi, said his troops remained committed to bringing hostages home.
"We have made significant achievements, but it is small so long as there are other hostages," he said in a statement.
"The IDF is confident that the combat advances their return, but in the context of combat, we have also made mistakes — we are not able to bring these hostages home alive.
"Every mistake that occurred was due to lack of knowledge, and we are committed to learning from these mistakes."