Link to Article: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-deaths-six-hostages-gaza-probably-linked-israeli-strike-2024-12-04/
According to the Israeli military, six Israeli hostages who were reported dead and whose bodies were recovered from Gaza in August have been found to be most likely linked to an Israeli airstrike against Hamas near where they were being held. The military said in a statement about the investigation into the hostages’ deaths. “At the time of the strike, the military had no information, not even a suspicion, that the hostages were in the underground compound or its vicinity,” “Had such information been available, the strike would not have been carried out.” According to the military, it was highly probable that the hostages deaths were related to the strike carried out near the location where they were held. The air strike occurred in February and the bodies of the hostages were recovered in late August. The most likely situation was that the hostages were shot by Palestinian militants around the time of the strike. However it was also possible that they had already been killed previously, or that they were shot after they were already dead. Due to the extended time that had elapsed, it is not possible to clearly determine the cause of deaths of the hostages or the precise timing of the gunfire. An Israeli military official said in a briefing with reporters that one change that the military has introduced since the bodies were retrieved in August is to ensure that hostages are not in the vicinity before ordering strikes against militants. The military’s understanding of the hostages was that the militants targeted in February were killed from secondary effects of the strike, such as lack of oxygen. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, which advocates for the return of more than 100 Israeli and Foreign hostages still believed held by militants in Gaza, said the findings serve as proof that the lives of hostages face constant danger. Fewer than half of the hostages taken from Israel on the October 7th attack have been freed during the war’s ceasefire, which lasted for a week in November 2023. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 44,500 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
I think that it is awful that these hostages deaths were most likely linked to Israeli airstrikes and that it took so long to discover the bodies. I think that because of the amount of rubble in Gaza and the extended time that it took to find the bodies, it is very difficult to determine the result of their deaths, however I think that it is very good that Israel has since taken more precautions in hostage situations. I feel like it should have been a no brainer to not order strikes until there were no hostages in the vicinity, however I think that it is good that Israel is now taking this precaution. I know that many civilians have also been killed in Lebanon due to Israeli strikes against Hezbollah. This makes me wonder if Israel will be forced to pay for the war crimes and the high amounts of civilian casualties that have come since their campaign. I find it surprising that in the past year since the war broke out, Israel has already killed more than 44,500 Palestinians, and around 4,000 Lebanese. I find it awful how there are still so many hostages yet to be returned and they risk being collateral in this war that has had so many collateral incidents. I think that it’s awful how often civilians and women and children are dying in this conflict and I feel like Israel is not being as careful as they could be. I thought Israel was very precise with their pagers that they used to attack Hezbollah, however I feel like when it comes to strikes Israel is not being very careful or taking into consideration the possible collateral damage.
I wonder why Israel is so aggressive and why they’re being careful about taking out critical infrastructure however they’re not worried as much about women, children, and hostages. I know in class we were talking about collective goods and it just seems like National Defense and protecting women, children, and hostages seems like it would be in everyone’s mutual interest so I do not understand why Israel hasn’t been taking this into consideration as much as they can be. I wonder how much longer the war in Gaza will last now that Hezbollah and Israel should slow down the fighting. I understand Israel being angry at Palestine, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Hamas for the yearlong fight that began with the October 7th attack, however I believe that Israel should focus on returning the hostages that are still in captivity and then end the fighting. While I do think that Israel is being excessive in some areas, realistically Israel is going to continue to target Hezbollah and Hamas even if it causes some collateral or breaks some ceasefires. This is because it is in Israel’s national interest to ensure National Security both foreign and domestic and in order to do that they need to be safe from these terrorist organizations.