An IDF investigation has confirmed that six hostages, whose bodies were recovered from a Hamas tunnel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, likely died from executions by their captors amid an airstrike on December 14, 2023. The hostages—Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78—were abducted on October 7, 2023, and held captive in a Hamas tunnel in Khan Younis until late December.

In February, the IDF carried out airstrikes targeting Hamas tunnels in the area, unaware that hostages were being held there. The strikes were approved to target a Hamas battalion commander, with no suspicion of captives in the vicinity. However, in August, new intelligence led the IDF to the tunnel site, where they recovered the bodies of the six hostages, each showing gunshot wounds, indicating they were likely executed.

Additionally, the IDF found the bodies of six Hamas operatives in the tunnel, who had no gunshot wounds. The operatives are believed to have died from suffocation or carbon dioxide poisoning caused by the airstrike’s effects. The IDF believes that regardless of the timing of the executions, the hostages would have perished due to the airstrike’s aftermath.

The findings suggest that the hostages were likely executed by Hamas before or during the strike, with their deaths a result of both the executions and the environmental effects of the airstrike.