According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the hostages, who were taken from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, appear to have died of suffocation in the tunnel where they were being held.
The newspaper claimed that the incident occurred about six months ago during an Israeli military attack in Khan Younis by the 98th Division.
The report claimed that the army did not target the tunnel directly where the hostages were held but rather hit a Hamas target nearby, resulting in a fire and the subsequent release of lethal carbon dioxide gas inside the tunnel.
Several Hamas fighters were found dead alongside the Israeli hostages, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and showing no signs of injury, it said.
They used the Hannibal protocol on October 7th. They’re not afraid to kill their own. I’d bet most of the casualties from Israel’s side is because of their own army shooting or shelling them.
Is anyone keeping score on how many hostages the IDF has killed vs Hamas…?
Current israeli media claim is “gas leak in tunnel” but it’s eerily similar to
Haaretz Jan 17, 2024 - IDF Says Unclear How Three Hostages in Gaza Died, but They May Have Been Poisoned or Suffocated
That article is 7 months ago, and the new hostages 6 months ago…
What’s the total tally of hostages killed by Hamas vs by Israel?
If I was these people’s family, I would absolutely dedicate my entire life to breaking Netanyahu’s power or even get vigilante justice somehow. Israel may have “won” the war in Gaza but they’ll be paying an extremely heavy price for DECADES to come.
I’m surprised that Hamas apparently did not retrieve the corpses (which are still valuable to them) for six months. My understanding is that information about where hostages are kept is deliberately decentralized to prevent any single leak from letting Israel know all their locations. Did everyone who knew that these hostages were there die? Or maybe the tunnel ventilation system was either insufficient or damaged and the air in that tunnel was unbreathable this whole time?
Edit: Also I’m not seeing this information on www.ynetnews.com which is the Israeli newspaper that OP’s article claims as its source.
