The deaths of six Israeli hostages recovered from Gaza in August were likely related to Israeli airstrikes against Hamas where they were being held, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.
“At the time of the strike, the military had no knowledge, nor suspicion, that the hostages were in the underground compound or in its vicinity,” the military said in a statement about the investigation into the deaths of the hostages.
“Had such information been available, the strike would not have happened.”
The statement said “their deaths are highly likely to be related to a strike near where they were held”, although the exact circumstances are yet to be clarified.
The military said the airstrike took place in February, while the bodies of the hostages were found in late August.
The most plausible scenario was that they were shot by Palestinian fighters during the strike, it said. It is also possible that they were already killed, or that they were shot after they were already dead.
“Due to the extended amount of time that had passed, it was not possible to determine the cause of death of the hostages or the exact time of the gunfire.”
An Israeli military official said in a briefing with reporters that one change implemented after the army recovered the bodies of the hostages in August was ensuring that the hostages did not reach the surrounding area before ordering a strike against the militants.
The official said the military’s understanding was that the terrorists targeted in February “were killed by secondary effects of our strikes”, such as lack of oxygen, but many details of the incident could not be fully confirmed.
The headquarters of the Hostage and Disappeared Families Forum, which advocates for the return of more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages still held by Gaza rebels, said “it is further evidence that the lives of hostages face constant, daily threat … time. is of the essence.”
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities across the border on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli estimates.
Less than half of the hostages were freed during the only truce of the week-long war in November 2023.
Israel’s military campaign has killed 44,500 Palestinians, most of them reduced to rubble, according to Gaza health officials.