DayofPal– A New York Times investigation has uncovered military maps confirming that Israeli forces operated in a restricted zone in Gaza, where they knowingly killed six Israeli prisoners. The Israeli army had previously claimed it was unaware of their presence in the area.
In late August, Israeli commandos launched an operation in southern Gaza to locate Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s top leader. According to five Israeli military officials, the army suspected that Israeli captives were being held in tunnels nearby.
On August 27, the commandos confirmed the presence of at least one captive when they discovered Farhan Al-Qadi, an Arab Israeli prisoner, alive in a tunnel.
Concerned for the safety of other prisoners, the army briefly halted its mission. However, military sources revealed that the pursuit of Sinwar took priority. Shortly after, the commandos resumed the operation, despite the risks. By August 31, instead of locating Sinwar, they discovered the bodies of six Israeli prisoners in a tunnel.
The investigation also highlighted Israeli airstrikes in November 2023 that killed three Israeli captives. While the army confirmed in March 2024 that it was responsible, it withheld the information from their families for months.
A forensic report reviewed by The Times suggested the prisoners may have suffocated from toxic gases released by an Israeli missile strike.
The mother of one of the Israeli captivaa, Maayan Sherman, launched a public campaign demanding transparency.
After mounting pressure, the military finally admitted in September that the men had been killed in an Israeli airstrike but refused to disclose the exact cause of death.
Hamas has repeatedly warned that Israel’s relentless bombardment has killed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, as well as Israeli prisoners.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on maintaining what he calls “military pressure” despite the devastating consequences.
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