Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) revealed on Wednesday that six hostages who were killed earlier this year and their bodies retrieved in August were executed by Hamas.
Concretely, officials told the families of the murdered hostages that they were shot by their captors while the army was conducting airstrikes in Khan Younis without knowledge of their presence there, Haaretz reported. The IDF added that it does not operate in areas where hostages are suspected to be held.
The hostages in question are Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Alex Dancyg, Nadav Popplewell and Yagev Buchstab. Their bodies were recovered by a group comprised of different units based on intelligence the army had at the moment.
The hostages were held in tough and overcrowded conditions, according to IDF findings. They had been kept with others in a tunnel in central Khan Younis for several months and taken elsewhere in December of last year. They stayed there until February, when they were executed.
The decision to kill the hostages as a result of nearby attacks mirrors the execution of six other hostages in the city of Rafah in August. Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino and Hersh Goldberg-Polin were also shot by their captors as IDF forces were operating nearby. Israeli troops found the bodies hours after the executions.
Hamas threatened to kill more hostages after saying it had information about Israel being close to attempting a rescue operation. The group, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU, told militants not to consider repercussions of following instructions and that Israel is responsible for the fate of the hostages.
In the meantime, authorities are again taking steps to revive a hostage deal. Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase that there is an actual change to get a deal as a result of increased pressure on Hamas.
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