One of the houses bombed by the occupation army on October 7 in the Be'eri settlement in the Gaza Strip (Getty)
The Israeli army said on Friday that a female prisoner held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) during its attack on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7 was likely killed by Israeli helicopter gunfire.
The army stated - in a statement - that the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping of prisoner Efrat Katz, a resident of the Nir Oz settlement that was targeted by the attack along with other settlements, examined a variety of video evidence and eyewitness statements.
He added that the evidence showed that one of the Israeli helicopters opened fire on a car in which armed men were traveling, with Israeli prisoners inside.
He said, "As a result of the fire, most of the militants who were riding in the car were killed, and it is likely that Efrat Katz was also killed."
He stated that the investigation revealed that the prisoners cannot be distinguished through current surveillance systems.
He added, "The Air Force Commander did not find that the helicopter crew, who was working according to orders in the complex reality of war, committed an error in the operation."
Previous investigation
A previous investigation by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority revealed that the army was aware of the presence of Israeli detainees in a house that it targeted with two tank shells in the Be’eri settlement on October 7th.
The Commission confirmed that Hamas fighters did not fire on the detainees, but rather it was Israeli forces’ fire that killed them, along with 40 Hamas militants.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters