Official announcements from Israeli authorities or credible news outlets

IDF Reports Three Soldiers Killed in Combat in Northern Gaza, Investigation Finds Hostages Murdered in Rafah Tunnel

Dec 24, 2024, 06:12 PM

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have announced the deaths of three soldiers from the 92nd Infantry Battalion of the 900th 'Kfir' Brigade, who were killed during combat operations in the northern Gaza Strip, specifically in the city of Beit Hanoun. The soldiers, Captain Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin, Staff Sergeant Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar, and Sergeant First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon, fell in combat. Additionally, the IDF concluded an investigation into the murder of six hostages by Hamas in August, revealing that the military's actions in the area likely influenced Hamas's decision to execute the hostages on August 29. The hostages, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, were killed in a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza. The IDF had no concrete or real-time intelligence on the hostages' presence in the weeks leading up to their deaths but operated with caution due to general indications of possible hostages in the area.