An Israeli investigation has found that Efrat Katz, who was abducted during a Hamas attack on October 7, was likely killed when an Israeli combat helicopter fired on her kidnappers’ vehicle. The incident occurred during a time of fighting and uncertainty, according to Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar. The army stated that the mistake was due to surveillance systems not being able to distinguish between hostages and terrorists once they were in a vehicle.
Katz, along with other fighters in the vehicle, was killed in the attack, while her daughter and grandchildren were taken hostage but later released. Katz’s partner, Gadi Moses, remains in captivity in Gaza. The Israeli response to the Hamas attack has resulted in numerous casualties, with over 1,200 people killed and hundreds taken captive.
In December, three Israeli captives were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and Hamas reported that seven more captives have died as a result of Israel’s bombardment. The use of an AI-assisted system to identify targets for bombing campaigns has led to civilian casualties, with reports suggesting an error rate of about 10 percent, contributing to the thousands of deaths in the conflict. Israel continues to face criticism for the high number of civilian casualties resulting from its military operations in Gaza.
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