The military discovered the bodies of Yahev Buchstab, 35, Alexander Danzig, 76, Avraham Mander, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Chaim Perry, 79, and Nadav Popplewell, a 51-year-old British-Israeli dual national, as well as the bodies of six militants of Hamas, in the southern district of Khan Younis.
The military said it was “very likely” the hostages’ deaths were linked to a February strike on a nearby underground facility targeting Hamas commanders.
Pathologists found traces of firearms on the bodies of the hostages, while no gunshot wounds were found on the bodies of the fighters.
According to the military, due to the fact that so much time has passed, “it was not possible to determine with absolute certainty the exact cause of death of the hostages or the exact time of the shooting.”
“According to the most likely scenario, the terrorists shot the hostages directly at the moment of the attack,” the report says. “However, it is also possible that the hostages were shot by other terrorists posthumously; it is even possible that the hostages were killed before the impact in the area.’
An Israeli military official told reporters that the military believes the six Hamas fighters were “killed as a result of the secondary effects of our strike,” such as lack of oxygen.
The military also emphasized that at the time of the strike, they “had no information that the hostages were in or near the underground facility.”
“Had such information been available, the strike would not have taken place,” it said, noting that it was preceded by a necessary planning and coordination process.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
