The Israeli army acknowledged on Friday that a female settler was killed by fire from its military helicopter near the Gaza Strip on October 7, when the Palestinian resistance launched Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” deep inside the enclave.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said: “Today, Friday, the Air Force published the most important points of the investigation into the force’s conduct of work during the kidnapping of Efrat Katz, who was killed on October 7 when she was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz” in the Gaza Strip.

The "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation inside the Gaza Strip led to the killing and capture of hundreds of Israelis.

Presentation of investigation results

According to the broadcasting authority, the results of the investigation were presented to “members of Efrat’s family and the families of the kidnappers involved in the incident.”

It stated, "It appears from the results of the investigation that during the battles and air strikes, one of the combat helicopters that participated in the fighting opened fire on a car with terrorists inside it, and according to the evidence, it turned out that there were also hostages."

The authority continued: “As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists who were in the vehicles were killed, and apparently Efrat Katz.”

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority stated, “The investigation was carried out based on footage of the attack from the combat helicopter that was fighting in the Strip at the same time, remotely manned aircraft, and security cameras of Kibbutz Nir Oz, and based on the testimonies of air teams operating in the area, as well as members of the Efrat Katz family and witnesses.” Others were there at the time of the accident.”

Israeli justification

It pointed out that "the investigation team's conclusions showed that, due to the presence of many Israeli hostages in the moving vehicle, it was not possible to distinguish them with the existing surveillance systems," she claimed.

It quoted Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar as saying: “The Air Force conducted an honest and transparent investigation, out of its deep commitment to the family of the deceased and the families of the kidnapped.”

He added: "The Air Force did not find any error in the work of the helicopter crew, which followed orders in light of the complex reality of war."

The Israeli government is currently facing pressure to conclude a new exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance to release more detainees in Gaza, which has been subjected to Israeli aggression that has led, since October 7, to the martyrdom of more than 33,000 Palestinians in the Strip.

During Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, about 250 people were detained from the cover settlements and military sites, and 130 of them are still in the hands of the resistance in Gaza, and 34 of them are believed to have died, according to official Israeli estimates.