The central assessment regarding the circumstances of the deaths of at least five of the six hostages, whose bodies were recovered from Gaza, is that they died from asphyxiation in the tunnel where they were held, due to an IDF attack, according to a report on ynet.
The report states that the event occurred during the manoeuvre of Division 98 about six months ago. It is worth noting that findings discovered at the scene last night reinforce this assessment, but it has not yet been confirmed by the IDF, which is also exploring other possibilities.
In any case, the IDF clarifies that the tunnel itself was not attacked by the IDF; rather, the target was a Hamas site located nearby. As a result of the attack, a fire ignited, causing carbon dioxide to be released from the flames and flood the tunnel where the hostages were held until their deaths. Additionally, the hostages' captors, Hamas militants armed with Kalashnikovs, were found in the tunnel, intact but lifeless.
