Israel’s armed forces (IDF) have denied claims of responsibility for the deaths of Itai Svirsky, one of two hostages reportedly killed during Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari referred only to Svirski’s case, stressing that “Itai was not killed by our forces. This is a lie by Hamas. The building in which (the hostages) were kept was not a target that was hit by our forces.”

In a press conference, he emphasized that “we are not launching an attack in a location where we know there may be hostages”. However, he admitted that “we didn’t know their exact location in real time” and that “in retrospect, (we are able to) know that we hit targets near where they were held.”

Following the video of the three Israeli hostages, which was made public yesterday Sunday, the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military arm of Hamas – announced today the death of two of them: 53-year-old Yossi Sarabi and 38-year-old Itai Svirsky.

The three hostages had appealed to the Israeli government to stop the military offensive in the Gaza Strip so that all the captives could be released. The 37-second video ended with the message: “Tomorrow we will let you know their fate.”

In today’s video showing the two bodies, hostage Noa Argamani says she was wounded by an Israeli strike that killed Sarabi. He adds that Svirski also met his death in another attack.

The 26-year-old recounts that she was with Sarabi and Svirski in a building that was bombed by the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF). He said fighters from the Al Qassam Brigades pulled them from the rubble, but 53-year-old Yossi Sarabi succumbed to his injuries. Two nights later, during their transfer to another location, 38-year-old Itai Svirski was killed by an Israeli strike, he added.

“Itai Svirsky and Yossi Sarabi were killed because of our own airstrikes, by the IDF. Stop this madness and bring us home to our families while we’re still alive,” 26-year-old Noah Argamani says in today’s video.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallad accused Hamas of “psychological violence”, claiming that if military operations in the Gaza Strip do not continue, Hamas will have absolutely no reason to release any more hostages.

26-year-old Noa Argamani took part in the music festival that turned into bloodshed on October 7. She was filmed by her captors driving her on a motorbike to the Gaza Strip as she desperately begged for her life.

53-year-old Yossi Sarabi was kidnapped, along with his brother, from Kibbutz Beeri. His wife managed to save their daughters, while his brother’s family was exterminated.

Itai Svirsky, 35, was also abducted in the attack on Kibbutz Beeri, where his parents were killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity sank after the October 7 massacre, with much of the public accusing him of failing to adequately prepare security services for an attack of this scale.

Many Israelis have accused the government of not doing enough to secure the release of the captives, demanding a new ceasefire deal that would rekindle hopes for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.