Already on October 7

Israeli army “most likely” killed hostage

The crew of a combat helicopter fired on a vehicle in which a hostage was sitting.(Bild: APA/AFP/GIL COHEN-MAGEN)

A female hostage abducted by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas on 7 October was "most likely" killed by Israeli fire on the day of her abduction. Israel's army made the results of its investigation public on Friday.

An attack helicopter had "fired on a vehicle that had terrorists on board and, in retrospect, according to witnesses, also hostages", the Israeli army stated on Friday. As a result of the shelling, "most of the terrorists" and "most likely" the hostage Efrat Katz were also killed.

The "tragic and regrettable" incident took place at a time of "fighting and uncertainty", explained Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Bar. He was unable to determine any misconduct on the part of the helicopter crew during the mission, he added. The error was due to the fact that the surveillance systems were unable to distinguish between hostages and kidnappers once they were in a vehicle.

As for the many other hostages, freedom was also demanded for Efrat Katz (here in Prague).(Bild: APA/AFP/Michal Cizek)

Family members were released
The 68-year-old Katz had been kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border with the Gaza Strip. Her German-Israeli daughter Doron Katz-Asher and her two children had also been kidnapped while visiting their mother in the kibbutz. The three were released on November 24.

Katz's partner, the German-Israeli Gadi Moses, and his ex-wife Margalit Moses had also been kidnapped. While Margalit Moses was later released, her ex-husband is probably still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, attacked Israel in an unprecedented attack on 7 October, killing around 1170 people and taking around 250 others hostage in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli figures. Around 130 of them are still being held, 34 of whom are presumed dead. Israel has been taking massive military action in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, around 33,000 people have now been killed.