Israeli estimates regarding the circumstances of the death of five of the six captives, whose bodies were returned from Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, suggest that they died of asphyxiation inside a tunnel where they were held, as a result of an attack by the Israeli army.
Without accurate intelligence or direction from captured Palestinian fighters, four Israeli army teams searched the tunnel containing the bodies of hostages.
The entrance, situated more than 30 feet below the surface, was discovered within a few hours. In it were the bodies of Palestinian fighters, who presumably died as a result of extended exposure underground, and the bodies of six Israeli captives.
The six Israelis have been identified as Alex Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Yagev Buchshtab, and Nadav Popplewell.
Israeli Ynet News “Yedioth Ahronoth” reported on its website (Ynet), that the attack was carried out by a force belonging to Brigade 98 in the Khan Younis area about half a year ago.
Ynet stated that the evidence found last night supports the hypothesis, which has not been definitively confirmed by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, which is working to determine the causes of death.
It added that “Unlike previous operations, this mission lacked precise intelligence on the location of the bodies and did not have the assistance of captured fighters to identify the tunnel entrances.”
Ynet also stated that the army found the bodies of several Palestinian fighters who died in the tunnel and added that the army believes the fighters may have perished due to guarding the hostages inside the tunnel for an extended period.
According to estimates, the captives suffocated due to a fire caused by an Israeli attack on a site near the tunnel, which led to a fatal leak of carbon dioxide into the tunnel, resulting in the death of the captives and their guards.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli army said it had made significant efforts to avoid targeting places where hostages might be suspected to be, whether alive or dead.
Ynet quoted military sources as saying: “We are in a dilemma regarding the destruction of tunnels, and we enter into confusion before dealing with any tunnel if there is a hidden exit leading to the hostages, as most of the tunnels in Gaza are interconnected.”
The sources emphasized that the occupation army “took additional precautions when information was obtained about the presence of hostages.”
Over recent months, the Israeli military has retrieved the remains of 18 hostages, predominantly from the areas of Jabalia and Khan Younis, in northern and southern Gaza, during four operations. Avraham Munder was the sole individual among those recovered whose fate remained unverified before this mission, as he was thought to be living.
Investigations by the military into how these deaths occurred are ongoing, examining whether they were casualties of the army’s operations or killed by their captors.
The investigations speculate that a number of the hostages may have perished due to Israel’s operations in the early part of January.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 40.173 Palestinians, including 16.365 children and 11.012 women, and injured more than 92.857, largely children, women, and elderly, in addition to the thousands who remain under the rubble, on destroyed streets and in bombarded alleys across the coastal enclave.
