A grandmother taken captive through the Oct. 7 assault on Israel most likely was killed when an Israeli helicopter, responding to the Hamas-led assault, fired on the car by which she was being held, Israel’s army mentioned on Friday.
The revelation concerning the abduction of the grandmother, Efrat Katz, 67, got here on the identical day that Israeli army officers detailed failures that led to lethal airstrikes this week on a convoy of assist employees in Gaza.
Ms. Katz’s kidnapping from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 was captured on video that confirmed her squashed at the back of a pickup truck alongside along with her daughter and two grandchildren.
The army mentioned Friday that an inquiry into air pressure actions on Oct. 7 because it responded to the assault discovered that “one of the combat helicopters that took part in the fighting fired at a vehicle that had terrorists in it” — and which, “in retrospect,” additionally carried hostages.
“As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists manning the vehicle were killed, and most likely, Efrat Katz was killed as well,” it mentioned in a press release summarizing the inquiry’s findings.
The helicopter crew was not discovered to be at fault, the assertion added, as a result of hostages within the car would have been indistinguishable from the terrorists.
“This is a tragic and unfortunate event that took place in the midst of fighting and conditions of uncertainty,” the air pressure’s commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, mentioned.
Ms. Katz’s demise wouldn’t be the primary from pleasant hearth within the battle.
Hamas and different armed Palestinian teams took greater than 200 folks captive through the Oct. 7 assault. About 100 hostages, most of them girls and kids, have been launched throughout a cease-fire in November, and at the very least 30 others are believed to have died in captivity, in line with Israeli officers.
In December, the Israeli army mentioned its forces had mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza. The incident triggered deep anguish in Israel, prompting calls for an additional non permanent truce and a deal to permit extra hostages to be launched. But diplomatic efforts to safe one other pause within the preventing have been stalled for months, at the same time as requires a cease-fire have mounted.
