The IDF has opened an in-depth investigation into who, why, and how the names of the hostages were leaked on social media last weekend before the IDF provided official confirmation, N12 reported on Monday. The leak led hostage families to learn of their loved ones' deaths via social media.
The IDF discovered the bodies of Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, and Alex Lobanov in a tunnel in Rafah before returning them to Israel for burial. They had been killed in captivity shortly before being discovered. Hamas has since released videos of the hostages' last statements.
As noted in the N12 report, hours before the bodies of the six hostages were returned to Israel, a wave of rumors spread on social media with the names of the hostages.
To stop the proliferation of rumors in the army, the IDF published a special announcement to say that the bodies had been recovered, but without identifying them.
"The IDF located a number of bodies during combat in the Gaza Strip," the military announced at the time. "At this time, the troops are still operating in the area and are carrying out a process to extract and identify the bodies that will last several hours. We ask to refrain from spreading rumors."
IDF investigates
Over the last week, the IDF and other authorities have discussed the leak to prevent further classified information from leaking out, N12 reported. The authorities attempted to ascertain how details of such a sensitive operation were revealed, causing significant distress to the family members of the hostages.
The IDF spokesperson said, "As soon as the serious leak occurred, the IDF Information Security Department opened an investigation. When completed, appropriate measures will be taken. The IDF takes leaks of any kind very seriously, especially regarding the hostages."