The six hostages, whose bodies were found in Gaza over the summer, were probably shot in February by their captors as an Israeli strike hit close to the tunnel where they were held, the military said.

In December 2023, the Israeli military expressed "deep remorse" after soldiers mistakenly killed three hostages in northern Gaza who had escaped from their captors. They were named as Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had retrieved the body of Itay Svirsky, who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, and then killed in Hamas captivity, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

February strike shows potential risks of military operations for remaining captives.

The deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza in August were probably linked to an Israeli strike near where they were being held, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. "At the time of the strike,