JERUSALEM (news agencies) — The Israeli military said Thursday that Israeli hostages held in a home struck by tank fire on Oct. 7 were likely killed by Hamas militants, not the Israeli shelling.
The conclusions were part of the army’s first inquiry related to the events of that day.
While the army cleared itself in the tank strike, it acknowledged a string of failures in its core mission to protect the country’s civilians.
Hamas stormed communities across southern Israel on Oct. 7 in an attack that caught Israeli security forces off guard. Roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and some 250 people were taken hostage into Gaza.
