Haaretz Investigation: Israel Killed at Least 20 Israeli Prisoners in Gaza
Gaza (Quds News Network)- An investigation by Israeli daily Haaretz has revealed that Israeli military attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023, have killed at least 20 Israeli prisoners. Another 54 prisoners were put at direct risk during the Israeli airstrikes and ground raids.
The report exposes a pattern of strikes launched without confirmed intelligence on Israeli prisoners’ locations. In many cases, the Israeli army bombed buildings and tunnels, despite the potential presence of prisoners. Some died from collapsing debris, and others from suffocation.
Military sources told Haaretz that the intelligence about prisoners’ locations was often momentary and unreliable. “The information changes fast,” said one source. “We’re basically blind.”
The report documents that hundreds of airstrikes took place in areas with potential Israeli prisoner presence, many without real-time confirmation. In several cases, raids were called off at the last minute when updated intelligence emerged. But in others, the attacks proceeded, killing Israelis.
One high-profile case occurred on April 7, 2025. An Israeli airstrike hit a building above a tunnel where soldier prisoners Idan Alexander and Matan Zangauker were held. They survived the blast, but only barely.
Several released prisoners described their greatest fear was not captivity — but Israeli strikes. Noa Levy, one of the freed soldier prisoners, said she prayed every time she heard the sound of incoming missiles. “Once, the building I was in collapsed. Only the wall I leaned on stayed intact. That saved my life,” she recalled.
Another prisoner, Yair Horn, said explosions came within inches of a tunnel he shared with his brother. “The Hamas men dragged us and ran. The tunnel was crooked, about to fall apart. We were running from the bombs — and the gas.”
Others weren’t as lucky. In February 2024, an Israeli strike in Khan Younis targeted a tunnel, killing six prisoners: Yagiv Buchstab, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Poplowel, Alex Danzig, Chaim Peri, and Avraham Mundar.
Despite public claims by top military officials that Israel avoids striking areas with Israeli prisoners, Haaretz found multiple cases where the army lacked clear knowledge.
In another incident in December 2023, three prisoners— Alon Shamir, Samer Talalka, and Yoav Haim — were killed by Israeli troops after escaping captivity and waving white flags.
Despite Israeli claims that Hamas kills Israeli prisoners, this investigation reveals that the Israeli military is directly involved in killing them.
