Israel’s military has acknowledged that the actions of their occupation forces likely had a significant influence on the death of six captives held in the Gaza Strip four months ago.
In late August, Israeli occupation troops in Gaza found the bodies of six dead Israeli hostages in an underground area of the Strip’s southern city of Rafah, with the occupation forces claiming that they were killed by Hamas fighters just before the soldiers reached them.
According to the BBC, an investigation by the Israeli military has now found that the “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages.” According to the probe, Israel’s chief of the general staff “concluded that this was a painful and tragic event, with the extremely difficult outcome of the brutal murder of six hostages.”
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A statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum has stressed that the Israeli military’s investigation further proves only a political deal with Hamas would make possible the return of all the hostages.
The occupation’s acknowledgment of its role in the deaths of those captives comes at a time when there is rapidly-growing discontent amongst Israel’s population at the government’s unwillingness to strike a deal with Hamas to return the prisoners.
Their families have this week threatened legal action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of preventing a prisoner swap deal and of “abandoning our loved ones”. In their letter, they further stated that refusing to end the war “sacrifices the hostages and diminishes their chances of returning alive.”
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