Efrat Katz was reportedly in a car with his kidnappers when Israeli military planes opened fire.
An Israeli investigation has found that a woman captured during an Oct. 7 Hamas attack “most likely” died when an Israeli combat helicopter opened fire on her kidnapper's vehicle.
Israeli Efrat Katz and most of the fighters in the vehicle were killed by aircraft fire, according to a military investigation on Friday.
The military said in a statement that the helicopter “opened fire on the vehicle in which the terrorists were traveling and, based on testimony, turned around and found the hostages also inside.”
“As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists in the vehicle were killed, and probably Efrat Katz as well.”
Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Barr said in a statement that the “tragic and unfortunate” incident occurred amid “combat and uncertain circumstances.”
“The Air Force commander found no fault in the operations of the helicopter crew, who acted in accordance with orders in the complex realities of war.”
A military statement said the mistake occurred because surveillance systems were unable to distinguish between the hostages and the kidnappers once they boarded the vehicle, adding: “Shooting was defined as firing at a vehicle carrying terrorists.”
fate of prisoners
Katz, 68, was kidnapped from the Nir Oz settlement near the fence in the Gaza Strip at the time of the Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Her daughter, Doron Katz Asher, and her two children were taken hostage in the attack, but were later released on November 24th.
Katz's partner Gadi Moses and ex-wife Margalit Moses were also taken hostage in the attack. She was later released, but Gadi remains imprisoned in Gaza, where she is believed to still be alive.
Israel said the Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people and captured more than 200, dozens of whom have since been released. It is estimated that around 130 people still remain in Gaza.
Israel has responded to Hamas' attacks with relentless attacks in the Gaza Strip that have killed at least 33,091 people, mostly women and children, according to the newspaper's Ministry of Health.
In December, three Israeli prisoners of war were accidentally killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
They were shirtless and one was holding a white flag, the military said.
Hamas' military wing announced last month that seven more prisoners had been killed by Israeli shelling, adding that the total number of prisoners killed in Israeli military operations “may have exceeded 70.”
Media reports this week shed light on the AI-assisted systems Israel is using to identify targets for its Gaza bombing campaign. The system reportedly had an error rate of about 10 percent and was responsible for many of the thousands of civilian deaths in the war, according to the publication.