The six hostages were reportedly killed at point-blank range a day or two before the army reached the tunnel. This is the claim made by the IDF, which has been accused of killing Israeli captives who were waving white flags and calling for help in Hebrew.

There is no independent verification of this claim, and the families were apparently not present at the autopsies. Therefore, this assertion should be taken with skepticism.

Facts: There was a firefight in the tunnel between the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) and Hamas fighters guarding the hostages. After the firefight, six Israeli hostages were found dead.

Given the events of October 7 and the IOF’s shoot-first policy, as seen in their killing of three escaped Israeli soldiers in December, it is likely that Israeli soldiers shot indiscriminately down the tunnel, killing both the Hamas fighters and the Israeli hostages.

There has been no credible, internationally validated account of what truly happened to the six hostages. The Israeli version of events sounds suspiciously like the debunked claims of 100 raped women and 40 beheaded babies.

Eleven months into the war, Israel has provided no evidence to substantiate its claim regarding the hostages. Netanyahu and the IOF have been repeatedly accused of lying to cover up their crimes and incompetence during the war.

To those who blame Hamas for the deaths of the six hostages: One of the most pervasive and false narratives of recent years is that Hamas fighters were involved in mass rapes of Israeli women, the beheading of 40 babies, and even baking babies in ovens. The truth is that, to many Israelis, Palestinian lives and deaths are treated as insignificant.

Here’s what we know for sure about the six dead hostages:

• Recently, Hamas fighters left one hostage behind when the IOF was closing in. Why wasn’t this person executed?
• Initially, the IOF claimed that the hostage was freed in a daring operation after a heavy firefight.
• Later, the IOF revised their account, stating the hostage was freed in a "complicated operation" (whatever that means).
• Two days ago, the freed hostage and his family were placed under a gag order by an Israeli court, preventing them from giving interviews.
• The UN confirmed that the Hannibal Directive was employed by the IDF in a building in the colony of Be'eri, where they knew Israeli hostages were present, resulting in the deaths of 13 hostages and their captors. The Hannibal Protocol directs IDF soldiers to kill Israeli hostages rather than allow them to be taken captive.
• By killing the hostages, the soldiers avoid having to engage in a risky rescue operation later.
• Similarly, when the lives of hostages are disregarded, overwhelming force can be used with minimal risk to the soldiers involved.

It seems that the lives of hostages are a small price Israel is willing to pay for its broader goals, including the killing of over 50,000 Palestinians, the near-total destruction of Gaza, and the ongoing violence in the West Bank, where over 600 people have been killed since October 7.

The IOF continues to terrorize much of the West Bank through collective punishment and attacks on civilian infrastructure. Despite these crimes, there is no accountability, thanks to the unconditional support of the US and other Western governments.

Millions of people around the world, including within Israel, are outraged by Netanyahu’s policies. They are protesting, demanding an end to the Gaza genocide, and calling for a ceasefire and a hostage swap deal.

At this point, the exact circumstances of how the six hostages died are secondary. What matters is that their deaths are ultimately the responsibility of the Israeli Prime Minister. As former President Trump said when criticizing Harris and Biden for their role in the deaths of the six hostages: "They have blood on their hands."

Despite their concern for the hostages’ safety, the Biden administration provided Israel with bombs, intelligence, and political cover, making the US complicit in the war.

Israel seems to understand only the language of force, but diplomacy has historically yielded better results, including successful prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas. In November, Hamas freed 105 civilians, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thais, and one Filipino, in exchange for Israel’s release of 240 Palestinian prisoners, 107 of whom were minors, and three-quarters of whom had not been convicted of a crime but were awaiting trial in military courts.

Netanyahu’s reluctance to sign a deal that would end the war and free the 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention camps is notable. Reports have confirmed that Palestinian prisoners are routinely tortured, raped, and, in some cases, murdered.

It’s worth noting that Netanyahu’s son, Yair, has been hiding in Miami since April 2023, protected by the Shin Bet at an estimated annual cost of 2.5 million shekels (approximately 684,250 USD). Netanyahu doesn’t have to worry about his own son being sacrificed in a war he seems determined to prolong.

In a recent report by the *Jerusalem Post*, Ditza Or, the mother of hostage Avinatan Or, made a remarkable suggestion to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar: "I suggest you return the 109 hostages and, in return, receive only five."

She proposed exchanging the five children of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, and Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon for all the hostages. Notably, she omitted Yair Netanyahu from the list.

In the final analysis, as Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, said: "Netanyahu and the IOF alone bear full responsibility for the deaths of the captives, as they deliberately obstructed prisoner exchange deals for narrow interests and intentionally killed dozens of them through direct airstrikes. Netanyahu’s insistence on using military pressure rather than negotiating a deal will mean the captives return to their families in coffins."