Internal investigation

Kibbutz family was killed by their own soldiers

Israelis protest against their own government.

(Bild: AFP/Jack GUEZ)

According to its own statements, the Israeli army killed two residents of a kibbutz during its operation against the major Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, presumably unintentionally. This was the result of internal investigations that have now been published.

Tomer Eliaz-Arava and his mother Dikla Arava were killed by their own soldiers in the Nahal Oz kibbutz, the army said on Friday. Civilians and soldiers were questioned for the investigation.

The investigation revealed that 17-year-old Tomer Eliaz-Arava was first abducted by Hamas fighters and then forced to go door-to-door to persuade residents to leave their homes. After an hour and a half, the teenager managed to escape and hid.

Soldiers shot at teenagers
Israeli soldiers who had been sent to the attacked kibbutz had seen "a suspicious figure" and shot at them. This person was probably Tomer Eliaz-Arava. He was therefore "most likely (...) killed by mistake due to an identification error (by the Israeli army)", the army added.

In the meantime, Hamas fighters had kidnapped his mother Dikla Arava and taken her in a vehicle towards the Gaza Strip. During the journey, the vehicle was shot at from behind, which "possibly" led to her death, the army statement continued. In both cases, however, it was not possible to determine the cause of death with absolute certainty, the army added.

Tank shot at house
Following the brutal attack by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas on 7 October 2023, the Israeli army launched an investigation. The army had feared that several Israelis may have been killed by friendly fire.

In Kibbutz Beeri, which was also severely affected by the attacks, witnesses reported to Israeli media that an Israeli tank had fired on a house in which 14 people were being held by Hamas.