Several of the six Israeli hostages executed by Hamas in Gaza approximately ten days ago reportedly fought back against their captors, according to information relayed by the Israel Defense Forces to their families.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari has informed the relatives of the victims—Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Carmel Gat—about the harsh conditions in which they were detained and their bravery during their final moments, as reported by Channel 12 and Channel 13.
Hagari, who met with the families recently, provided them with what Channel 12 news described as preliminary results from the army’s investigation into the event. This included details of the severe conditions endured by the hostages and evidence from the tunnel where they were executed.
The IDF suspects that the hostages were killed a day or so before the IDF reached the tunnel on August 31, according to the report.
“Several of the six are assessed to have defended themselves and struggled with those who shot them,” the report stated.
Channel 13 reported “forensic” findings indicating that “Hersh, Ori, Alex and Almog defended Eden and Carmel.”
The hostages were confined in a cramped tunnel, so narrow that it could barely accommodate two people side by side and too low for them to stand fully upright, as detailed in the Channel 12 report.
The tunnel lacked air vents, making breathing difficult for the hostages, the families were informed.
There were no restrooms or showers in the tunnel. The hostages had to clean themselves using water from the bottles they had.
Protein bars were discovered in the tunnel, but the hostages had very limited food, causing them to lose significant weight; Yerushalmi, for instance, weighed only 36 kilograms (80 pounds) before her death.
The tunnel contained a generator and a small flashlight that was often malfunctioning, a chess set, writing tools, and notepads. The IDF has returned the notepads to the respective families, as reported by Channel 12.
A family member, who chose to remain anonymous, told Channel 12 that the hostages “did everything to survive in impossible circumstances… and in the end Hamas murdered them… Their only demand was that the government save them, and the government failed in its mission.”
The IDF recovered the bodies of the six during the night of August 31 to September 1. An initial autopsy performed on September 1 revealed that they had been shot multiple times at close range two to three days prior.
Last week, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu condemned the murderers, stating that the hostages had been killed “in cold blood. They riddled them with bullets… They shot them in the back of the head.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
Hashem Yinakom Damim.
Hashem Yinakom Damam.
Hashem Yeracheim!