Propaganda is flying around like crazy in this conflict and I think it's time for our community to come together and try to separate the truth from misinformation and chaff. Similar to my last post on the al-Ahli Hospital Massacre, we're going to go with the following format:
For top-level comments, post the claim being made as well as who made the claim (please cite as close to the original source as possible) and, if possible, the date/time that claim was made.
For other comments, please try to either prove or debunk claims using multiple sources and verifiable information.
[2023/10/20] [Hebrew] [Tuval Escapa, a member of the security team for Kibbutz Be’eri] told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that as desperation began to set in, “the commanders in the field made difficult decisions – including shelling houses on their occupants in order to eliminate Hamas fighters along with the hostages.”
Translated by Middle East Observer
[2023/10/15] It happened when Israeli forces engaged in fierce gun battles with Palestinian fighters in Kibbutz Be’eri and fired indiscriminately at both the fighters and their Israeli prisoners. “They eliminated everyone, including the hostages,” she told Israeli radio. “There was very, very heavy crossfire” and even tank shelling.
Yasmin Porat, a survivor from Kibbutz Be'eri, corroborates the claims from Tuval Escapa in an interview with Israeli media channel Haboker Hazeh. A transcript of her interview is available from Electronic Intifada.