The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages during a rescue operation in Gaza.
The victims, identified as Nadav Popelwell, Yagav Buchstab, Yoram Metzger, Avraham Monder, Haim Perry and Alex Danzig, were found in a tunnel near Khan Younis on Aug. 20. These victims died earlier this year during the IDF's 98th Division's initial maneuvers in the city.
According to the initial findings of the autopsy from the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, Metzger had been shot dead by one of his captors, while the other five hostages are believed to have died from suffocation during an IDF attack on a nearby Hamas target. The fire, which did not directly target the tunnel, produced carbon dioxide that flooded the confined space where the hostages were held. (Related: More and more Israeli soldiers becoming DISABLED as Gaza conflict drags on.)
"We make every effort to avoid harm to captives during our operations," said IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. "The circumstances of their deaths are being thoroughly investigated, and we will provide answers to the families and the public as soon as possible."
Chief of Staff Major Gen. Herzi Halevi, who toured the Gaza Strip following the operation, emphasized the IDF's commitment to bringing back all abductees, both alive and deceased.
"Tonight, we achieved an important goal – returning our people to Israel. While we had hoped to bring them back alive, ensuring their proper burial in Israel is also a crucial mission."
Additionally, three of the bodies recovered appeared in a video released by Hamas' Qassam Brigades in December, pleading not to be abandoned. The Hamas captors, who were also in the tunnel, were also found lifeless alongside the captives.
This tragic incident adds to the ongoing toll of Israeli captives being killed in Gaza, with many losing their lives during Israeli airstrikes and ground operations.
Families of the victims accuse Netanyahu of "sacrificing" the prisoners and "sabotaging" the ceasefire deal
The recovery of the bodies comes amid ongoing and failed ceasefire talks. Hamas has rejected a new American-backed proposal, which includes new conditions imposed by Netanyahu and does not address Hamas' terms for a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal.
This news of the captives' deaths has sparked anger among their families, with one family member blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "sacrificing" the hostages. The families of Israeli captives in Gaza have repeatedly called for a ceasefire agreement, but Netanyahu has been allegedly obstructing the process.
In fact, Netanyahu reportedly stated that Israel "will under no circumstances leave the Philadelphia Axis and the Netzer Corridor" during a meeting with the Hostages Families Forum on Aug. 2. He also expressed doubts about the feasibility of a cease-fire deal, saying he was "not sure" an agreement could be struck.
As a result, the Hostages Families Forum accused Netanyahu of abandoning efforts to secure the hostages' release.
"The prime minister's words are practically a refutation of the abductee deal. Netanyahu did not admit that the release of the abductees leads to their murder in captivity. They not only suffer, they also die. There is no hope and no heroism in a 'firm' stand that will result in the continued death of all the abductees. The Israeli government abandoned the abductees on 7.10 and is now abandoning them for good," the Hostages Families Forum wrote on their official account on X.
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Watch this report from Al Jazeera discussing Hezbollah's recent missile barrage involving over 200 rockets aimed at military installations in Israel.
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