The IDF on Tuesday afternoon presented the families of Hamas hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino with the final investigation into the incident in which they were executed by their captors in a tunnel in Rafah in August, while IDF forces were operating in the area.
The investigation presented by the Southern Command indicates that the IDF had assessed that the likelihood of hostages being present in the area was medium to low. However, the troops were instructed to operate under the assumption that hostages were in the area and to act with the necessary caution. They conducted ongoing situational assessments on the matter in coordination with relevant professional officials.
The tunnel where the six hostages were held captive and murdered
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's unit)
At the same time, it appears that if such information had been available, the forces would not have operated in the area or would have operated in a completely different manner. However, the IDF spokesman's statement noted that "the IDF’s ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists' decision to murder the six hostages."
The IDF says that, since the incident, changes have been made and lessons learned regarding ground operations methods in fighting in the Gaza Strip, the utilization of weapons and intelligence, and additional technologies introduced to prevent such incidents from happening again as much as possible. The affair further illustrated the assessment in the IDF that Hamas executes Israeli hostages as a regular policy if it hears IDF forces approaching the cells holding them.
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Rom top right: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Uri Danino. From bottom right: Almog Sarsousi, Carmel Gat, Alex Lobanov
(Photos: Courtesy of the families, AP)
The findings also show that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was accidentally killed about a month and a half after the murder of the hostages, was in the area near the six hostages, but did not necessarily meet them or hold them himself.
Farhan Qadi, the hostage who was found alive in a nearby tunnel a few days prior to the execution of the six hostages, also testified, according to the findings of the investigation, that he did not encounter Sinwar or meet other hostages. Farhan testified that he did not see Sinwar and that he was required to stay in place and not move by his captors who escaped from the tunnel in which he was being held.
On August 27, 2024, Qadi was rescued from an underground compound, having been found alone and without prior intelligence regarding his location. Following the rescue, the troops conducted a dedicated situational assessment regarding the possibility of finding additional hostages in the area, and halted operations for the next 24 hours. Even after the rescue, the IDF did not possess intelligence indicating the presence of additional hostages in the area at that time, according to the investigation.
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Hostage Farhan Qadi was found alive several days before the bodies of the six hostages
(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Unit)
After Qadi was found alive and before the bodies of the kidnapped were located, three terrorists were identified who were moving in the area, according to the IDF. The soldiers did not fire at them for an extended period of time, but did everything possible to capture them alive.
On the afternoon of August 31, 2024, the troops of the division located the six hostages in the underground tunnel. The hostages were no longer alive and had signs of gunshot wounds on their bodies.
According to the findings of the pathological report, the estimated date of the murder of the six hostages was August 29, 2024. IDF troops discovered the tunnel shaft where the six hostages were found on August 30, 2024, after they had been murdered.
The final investigation reiterates a significant finding that already emerged in the initial investigation, which was made public, which found that two terrorists who were eliminated in the area at that time by forces from the Nahal Brigade were very likely, according to forensic findings that were located, to be the ones who held and murdered the six hostages.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said this evening that "the investigation indicates that on August 15, 2024, troops of the 162nd Division launched an operation to defeat Hamas's al-Tel Sultan Battalion, following approximately three months of operational activity in Rafah. The troops engaged in intense combat with Hamas terrorists deep inside the area of Tel al-Sultan, during which they located a central underground tunnel system in the area."
The statement continues that "in order to continue operations in the area, including the investigation and location of the underground tunnel system, a dedicated command center was established, led by Shayetet 13 and the 162nd Division, in collaboration with other security authorities. The command center integrated special forces, various intelligence units, precise underground operational capabilities, and the use of specialized equipment and technology, including for the potential location of hostages in the area."
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Next to dolls and murals in a children's yard: the tunnel where the bodies of the kidnapped were found
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Although there was a low-medium probability of hostages being found in the area, the IDF said that the forces were instructed to operate under the assumption that there were hostages in the area, to act with the necessary caution, and carried out ongoing situation assessments on the subject in cooperation with the relevant professional bodies.
On August 31, IDF forces located the bodies of the six hostagesin a tunnel 20 meters deep in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, which is a kilometer away from the one where hostage Farhan Qadi was found. The IDF did not know exactly where the six were in the months before, but it knew that there were hostages in the area, and therefore the operation in Rafah was "gradual and slow" since the ground fighting began there. During the operation, there was no encounter with the terrorists who murdered the six and fled, but they were apparently eliminated in the fighting that continued there above ground.
The hostages were found with gunshot wounds to the head and other places. They were murdered about 24 hours before IDF forces arrived at the tunnel. Severe neglect was evident on their bodies. Among other things, it was evident that they had not showered for a long time, and signs of being tied up were found on one of the hostages. In addition, there were indications that the hostages had sustained injuries during the kidnapping, which were treated over time. The bodies of the six were found scattered in the tunnel in clusters, and they were not lying side by side. It is not possible to determine whether there was any struggle before they were murdered by the terrorists.
The hostages were held in a very small and narrow tunnel, where they had difficulty standing upright, and only two of them could lie in it horizontally at the same time. There were no air vents in the tunnel, and the hostages had difficulty breathing in it. In addition, the hostages had no toilets or showers, and they were given bottles of water that were used for showers as well as drinking. They had very little food in captivity, and lost significant weight. Eden Yerushalmi's body was found weighing only 36 kg (about 79 pounds).
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IDF Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, summarized the findings of the investigation and said that this was "a painful and tragic event, with the extremely difficult outcome of the brutal murder of six hostages by Hamas." The Chief of Staff also determined, based on the investigation, that the hostages were murdered by gunfire from Hamas terrorists during IDF forces' operations in the area, "however the circumstances of the events that took place in the tunnel that led to the murders are unclear, and the likelihood of these circumstances becoming clear in the future is low."
The IDF also stated that the Chief of Staff " emphasized the moral obligation to investigate the event for the hostages' families, as well as for operational learning purposes. He affirmed that the IDF will continue to make every effort to fulfill the national mission and war objective of bringing home the hostages."
The Families' Headquarters for the Return of the Abductees said in response: "We are pained by the renewed pain of the families when they are presented with details from the shocking and heartbreaking investigation. The investigation published tonight proves once again that military pressure kills hostages."