Israel: Autopsy shows that all six hostages were shot at close range, the bodies were found 20 meters underground

As anger and protests erupt in Israel over the deaths of six hostages in Gaza, an autopsy has revealed they were shot at close range sometime between Thursday and Friday. The bodies of the six hostages were recovered from a tunnel beneath the Gaza city of Rafah over the weekend.

The autopsy revealed that the bodies were killed 48 to 72 hours before the autopsy. According to the Israeli Health Ministry, they were shot multiple times at close range, suggesting that they were executed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said the hostages were killed relatively shortly before troops discovered their bodies in a tunnel in Rafah on Saturday afternoon. Security officials believe the militant group executed the hostages because it feared that a hostage rescued alive from a nearby tunnel last week, Farhah al-Qadi, would reveal details about where the other prisoners were being held.

Al-Qadi, 52, was rescued by Israeli army special forces from Hamas captivity in one of the terror group's tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. He was found alone in the tunnel after his captors escaped.

“Their bodies were found in a tunnel during the fighting in Rafah, about a kilometer away from the tunnel from which we rescued Farhan al-Qadi a few days ago,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.

He added that while the Israeli forces do not know the exact location of the hostages, they have a rough idea of ​​where the hostages might be. They were operating in the area when they came across the tunnel and the bodies.

“Since Farhan was found, the troops were required to be even more careful than usual because it was believed that there might be more hostages in the area. We had no information about the exact whereabouts of the hostages,” Hagari said. The search ended about 20 meters underground, where the bodies lay.

Meanwhile, protests are brewing in Israel after hundreds of thousands of Israelis gathered in Israeli cities on Sunday against the deaths of the hostages. They expressed their pain and anger and called for a ceasefire in the hostage-taking. They also carried six “symbolic coffins” to symbolize the six bodies recovered on Saturday evening.

A prominent trade union, the Histadrut, has announced a general strike for Monday to pressure the government to reach an agreement. Ninety-seven of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 are believed to still be in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 hostages whose deaths have been confirmed by the Israeli army.