The Israeli military claims to have discovered distress signals in a Gaza building where three Israeli captives were hiding before being shot dead by Israeli troops by mistake.
The signs, which read “SOS” and “Help, three hostages” in Hebrew, were found in a building in the Gaza City suburb of Shujayea, military spokesman Rear Admiral said on Sunday. Daniel Hagari.
The army distributed photographs of the white cloth signs written in red, probably with leftover food. They were hanged from a building about 200 meters from where they were shot last week, Hagari said.
The killing of the captives, who the Israeli military said were targeted while waving a white flag, sparked an outcry in Israel and amplified concerns about their military’s conduct in war.
Ido Shamriz, brother of murdered captive Alon Shamriz, accused the Israeli army of having “abandoned” and then “murdered” him.
Ruby Chen, the father of a 19-year-old captive and soldier still held in Gaza, said the incident had made him even more worried about his son’s fate.
“It feels like we’re in a game of Russian roulette (to find out) who will be the next to know about their loved one’s death,” Chen said.
The deaths of the captives also added to Israeli concerns that their government and military are more focused on eliminating Hamas than rescuing at least 100 captives believed to still be in captivity in Gaza.
Hamas said last month that around 60 captives had been killed or missing because of Israeli bombing. Israel has confirmed that at least 20 prisoners have died in Gaza, without specifying how it knows this information.
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that new negotiations could be underway to recover the prisoners, after his intelligence chief met with the prime minister of Qatar, mediator in the conflict.
However, Hamas said it would not release any more prisoners until the end of the war.
Where are the captives?
Israel believes some of the captives could be trapped in Hamas’ vast network of underground tunnels, complicating the Israeli military’s efforts to eradicate the group.
On Sunday, the Israeli military announced it had discovered the largest tunnel it had ever seen in Gaza and vowed to search more tunnels in its pursuit of Hamas.
“We will hunt them even if we have to go down into the tunnels,” Hagari said. “We must also do this paying attention to the rescue of our hostages and knowing that perhaps some of them are in the tunnels. »
The newly discovered Hamas tunnel has an entrance near a key Israeli border crossing, raising additional questions about the security failures that led to the group’s October 7 attacks in southern Israel.
The vast tunnel, equipped with ventilation and electricity, is twice the height and three times the width of Gaza’s other tunnels, Israeli officials said. It stretches for more than 4 km (2.5 miles) and in some places plunges 50 meters (55 yards) underground.
“Millions of dollars have been invested in this tunnel,” Hagari said on Sunday.
“It took years to build. … Vehicles could pass,” he added. “At this point, it is the largest tunnel in Gaza. »
Nir Dinar, another Israeli military spokesman, said Israel failed to spot the tunnel because its border defenses only detected tunnels intended to enter Israel.
Israeli officials believed Hamas used the tunnel to move vehicles, fighters and equipment before its Oct. 7 attacks, which killed about 1,200 people, they say.
In retaliation for this attack, Israel bombed the besieged Gaza Strip for two and a half months and launched a ground invasion, killing more than 19,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and reducing much of the enclave. in ruins.