Photos from the vicinity of the concert venue in the settlement of Re'im (Al-Jazeera)
Haaretz published excerpts from an Israeli police investigation into what happened at the concert that was being held in the Gaza envelope, coinciding with the launch of the Palestinian resistance, led by the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, on October 7.
More than 40 days after Israeli and Western officials said that members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades had committed a massacre at the concert, the Israeli police came up with information that was completely different from this account.
A preliminary police investigation concludes that an Israeli warplane apparently bombed Israelis near Ri'im in the Gaza Strip while trying to target militants.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that preliminary investigations by Israeli police indicate that the gunmen who participated in the October 7 attack did not know in advance of the concert near the settlement of Re'im.
According to preliminary investigations, a helicopter gunship launched from the Ramat David base and bombed the militants from the air and wounded a number of revelers at the site. 364 concert participants were killed.
Al Jazeera's Guevara al-Budairi reported that 4,<> people, including foreigners, were participating in the concert.
She added, quoting informed sources, that the Qassam Brigades were not even aware of the ceremony, but its paratroopers, while crossing the settlements surrounding Gaza, alerted Israelis who went out to the streets, so they informed their members of this and when they arrived at the place, they were bombed by warplanes, which received information about captures.
The correspondent explained that the Israeli warplanes were not aware of the reality on the ground, because Hamas took control of the Israeli Gaza Division and disabled all means of communication.
Incendiary weapons
She pointed out that the presence of charred bodies confirms the findings of the police investigation, because the Qassam Brigades do not have incendiary weapons, and therefore it was the Israeli aircraft that killed the celebrants.
She said a number of pilots admitted they may have bombed Israelis because they did not know where or who they were bombing.
The correspondent stated that this investigation revealed confusion and military errors that will further complicate matters, affect the future of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and may prompt more demonstrations against him.
Netanyahu appears to have knowledge of the investigation, calling at a press conference on Saturday evening for more popular and international support, especially from the United States.
The conference coincided with a massive demonstration in Tel Aviv demanding a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies