The evidence continues to grow that many Israelis killed during Hamas' 7 October attack were killed by Israeli forces themselves
Video from a police helicopter shows that an Israeli tank opened fire on a house where 13 Israeli captives were killed during Hamasu2019 7 October attack on military bases and settlements surrounding besieged Gaza, Israelu2019s 12 News reported on 18 December.
12 News reported that the video from the helicopter showed the tank fire shells in the direction of a house where Hamas fighters had barricaded themselves with the Israeli captives.
The house, owned by Pasi Cohen, is located in Kibbutz Beu2019eri, which Hamas attacked in an effort to take Israelis captive back to Gaza.
The killing of the 13 captives by Israeli tank fire was already known due to testimony from 44-year-old Yasmin Porat, who was held with the captives in the same house before she was able to escape. But the video from the police helicopter that responded to the scene confirms this.
After Hamas fighters took over the house and gathered captives there, Israelu2019s elite counter terror force, Yamam, responded and immediately initiated a fire fight with the Hamas fighters.
While with the soldiers who had surrounded the house, Porat turned to one of the soldiers and asked if the tank shells would not harm the other captives still inside. The soldier replied that "they only do it on the sides to take down walls."
Hadas Dagan, the only other captive besides Porat to survive, said that she herself was hit by a shrapnel from the tank shell. The report stated that soldiers who were in the kibbutz said that the shot recorded from the helicopter was a warning shot after which the tank was hit, and then another tank arrived and shot at the house once more.
Three of those killed in the home were 12-year-old Liel Hetzroni, her twin brother Yanai, and their aunt Ayla, who raised them. Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that Lielu2019s relatives held a farewell ceremony for her, rather than a burial ceremony, because there was nothing left of her body.
When the remains of Lielu2019s body were finally identified, only ash and bone fragments remained.
The police helicopter video adds to the growing evidence that Israeli forces themselves killed many of the 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians who died on 7 October during the Hamas attack.
Though Liel was killed by the Israeli army, Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli Prime Minister, blamed her death on Hamas, claiming "Liel Hetzroni of Kibbutz Beeri was murdered in her home by Hamas monsters."
While speaking to members of the foreign press on 14 October, Lt. Col. Golan Vach of a military search and rescue team gave insight into why the army used tanks to target Israeli homes on 7 October.
During a briefing to journalists in front of a burnt and destroyed house, Vach claimed that Hamas had gathered 15 people inside, including eight babies, "and they killed them, and they burned them." He also claimed he personally removed the body of a mother and her baby who had been beheaded inside the house.
But when pressed by a journalist how Hamas had caused such destruction, Col. Vach reluctantly acknowledged, "Our tanks attacked, because they [Hamas] were blocked in these houses, and we need[ed] to conquer back the whole settlement. And it couldnu2019t be happen [sic] without the tanks."
This suggests anyone killed in the home was killed due to Israeli tank fire, rather than being burned alive by Hamas fighters who were themselves barricaded inside.
The helicopter video obtained by 12 News also recorded the many soldiers who had gathered outside the main gate of kibbutz Be'eri, but who for unknown reasons did not enter the kibbutz to join the battle which had been going on for hours since early that morning.
"Around 18:10 I discovered something," described one of the residents, "Hundreds of soldiers, dozens of police cars" were present outside the kibbutz. The soldiers were heavily equipped. "I personally approached every officer I saw from the rank of major and asked him who was in charge of the incident. Nobody knew. It would have looked like total command chaos. I told them that families are fighting and being slaughtered inside and they must go in, but there was no one to talk to. These were times and hours when we had to flood the kibbutz with soldiers, and very limited forces entered. All day we fought alone."
Yair Avital, a member of the security squad at the kibbutz, added that "500 soldiers were standing outside and no one was managing it. People here are losing blood every minute. And the army that was out here stood and didn't understand what was happening here.
