The recent discovery of six Israeli hostages' bodies in a Gaza tunnel may indicate a dramatic shift in Hamas's tactics, according to a former top Israeli intelligence official.
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the IDF's Military Intelligence Research Division, shared his analysis in a recent Maariv interview. He suggests the killings could reflect Hamas's growing desperation in the face of Israel's advancing military campaign.
"Live hostages are an asset," Kuperwasser explained. "To kill them and leave them alone in a tunnel certainly reflects the distress in which the terrorists holding the hostages find themselves."
The bodies of Hirsch Goldberg Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lobanov, Uri Danino, and Carmel Gat were recovered during an IDF operation near Rafah. Five had been abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, while Gat was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri.
Kuperwasser pointed to signs of disarray within Hamas's ranks. The varied treatment of hostages – some abandoned, others killed – hints at a possible breakdown in the organization's command structure. "Each one acts as he thinks," Kuperwasser noted, suggesting a loss of centralized control.
Yet the former intelligence chief also raised the possibility of a calculated gambit by Hamas. By sacrificing hostages, the group may aim to intensify pressure on the Israeli government through public outcry. This tactic, however, comes at the cost of losing leverage in future negotiations.
As the IDF pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas's last major stronghold in Gaza, the fate of the remaining hostages has become increasingly uncertain.
The recent deaths have reignited debate within Israel over the most effective approach to securing the captives' release, with calls for both intensified military action and renewed negotiation efforts.
* Maariv contributed to this article.