Israeli Military Helicopter Opened Fire on Festival-Goers during Hamas Attack: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A report released Saturday disclosed that an Israeli military helicopter mistakenly opened fire on Israelis at a festival on October 7, believing them to be Palestinian gunmen.
Haaretz newspaper cited an Israeli security assessment, drawing from a police investigation involving arrested Hamas gunmen from the same day.
Based on interrogations and the police inquiry, the prevailing belief within Israel’s security establishment is that the Hamas resistance group hadn't intended to target the event. Although maps of potential targets were found on the bodies of Hamas members, none pertained to the festival site. Supporting this assessment, the fighters approached the festival from a nearby highway, not the border.
Details obtained from an initial Israeli police report by Channel 12 this week suggested that Palestinian fighters, utilizing drones and aerial reconnaissance, had initially aimed for nearby kibbutz Re’im and other bordering villages. The festival was discovered incidentally during their offensive into occupied territories.
According to Haaretz, the helicopter fired at the gunmen but also injured festival participants. The assessment indicates that the gunmen were unaware of the festival's proximity to Kibbutz Re'im, near the Gaza border.
Contrary to the official Israeli narrative attributing the attack to Palestinian resistance forces, the investigation contradicts these claims made by the Palestinian resistance group. The incident was part of a surprise operation, "Al-Aqsa Storm," where Palestinian fighters entered Israeli-occupied lands, prompting a forceful Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli aggression's toll continues to mount, with over 12,300 Palestinian killed in Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults on Gaza. Numerous structures, including hospitals and religious sites, have suffered damage or destruction amid Israel’s sustained strikes.
The blockade imposed by Israel has exacerbated conditions in Gaza, severely limiting essential supplies like fuel, electricity, and water, and diminishing aid deliveries.
