A grandmother taken captive through the Oct. 7 assault on Israel in all probability was killed when an Israeli helicopter, responding to the Hamas-led assault, fired on the car by which she was being held, Israel’s navy mentioned on Friday.
The revelation concerning the abduction of the grandmother, Efrat Katz, 67, got here on the identical day that Israeli navy officers detailed failures that led to lethal airstrikes this week on a convoy of support staff 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 together with her daughter and two grandchildren.
The navy mentioned Friday that an inquiry into air pressure actions on Oct. 7 because it responded to the assault discovered that “one of many fight helicopters that took half within the preventing fired at a car that had terrorists in it” — and which, “on reflection,” additionally carried hostages.
“On account of the fireplace, many of the terrorists manning the car had been killed, and almost definitely, Efrat Katz was killed as effectively,” it mentioned in an announcement 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.
“It is a tragic and unlucky occasion that befell within the midst of preventing and situations of uncertainty,” the air pressure’s commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, mentioned.
Hamas and different armed Palestinian teams took greater than 200 individuals captive through the Oct. 7 assault. About 100 hostages, most of them women and children, had been launched throughout a cease-fire in November, and at the least 30 others are believed to have died in captivity, according to Israeli officials.
In December, the Israeli navy mentioned its forces had mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza. The incident brought on deep anguish in Israel, prompting calls for an additional momentary truce and a deal to permit extra hostages to be launched. However diplomatic efforts to safe one other pause within the preventing have been stalled for months, whilst requires a cease-fire have mounted.