Israel concluded on Friday its weeks-long investigation into the alleged deaths of multiple hostages held by Hamas via friendly fire, asserting that it is likely that at least one hostage was killed by an Israeli helicopter.
In its investigation, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) found that Efrat Katz, who was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was likely killed by an Israeli helicopter that was firing upon a vehicle. The IDF originally believed the vehicle contained members of Hamas but has now claimed it contained hostages, including Katz. The strike led to the deaths of the Hamas operatives driving the vehicle and Katz, according to the report.
Air Force Major General Tomer Bar, who presented the findings to the press and Katz’s family, expressed condolences and stated the investigation was conducted in a transparent and thorough manner. He also stated that the IDF does not believe the helicopter crew is at fault due to the complications of armed conflict. The investigation into Katz’s death is expected to continue, with any future findings to be presented to Katz’s family and the public.
This is not the first report of the deaths of Hamas-held hostages at the hands of the IDF. In December 2023, the IDF mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages: Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz. The deaths led to mass protests from the Israeli public and the families of other hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated in February that Israel believes at least 1/5 of the October 7 Israeli hostages have died. However, he did not specify their causes of death. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced ongoing protests over his handling of both the war in Gaza and the negotiations over the return of the hostages.
The reports of Israeli hostages killed by friendly fire come as accusations of Israeli attacks on aid workers, reporters and other civilians have poured in. On April 3, Netanyahu announced the deaths of seven humanitarian aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza due to Israeli strikes. In March, the UN released a report alleging that the death of Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in 2023 in an Israeli tank strike was a war crime. In January, a vehicle transporting journalists in southern Gaza was hit by an Israeli airstrike, leading to the deaths of Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Al Dahdouh and Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist Mustafa Thuraya. In December 2023, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Roman Catholic diocese for the region, accused an IDF sniper of killing two women and injuring seven other church members at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.
Both the Geneva Conventions and the International Criminal Court (ICC) Statute forbid the targeting of civilians during times of armed conflict. Israel and the State of Palestine are signatories to the Geneva Convention. However, Israel is not a signatory to the ICC Statute. The State of Palestine only became a signatory to the ICC Statute in 2015, with the ICC ruling in 2021 that it has jurisdiction over war crimes in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
The South Africa genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is ongoing, with the ICJ ordering new provisional measures to prevent genocide in Gaza in March. The UN Security Council voted in March in favor of a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 33,091 Palestinians have died, and 75,750 have been injured since Israel declared war. According to the IDF, 1,300 Israelis have died as a result of the attacks on October 7, with hundreds taken hostage.
