IDF probe: Dikla Arava and son Tomer were likely killed by Israeli fire on Oct. 7
Investigation based on testimonies from soldiers, officers, civilians finds both were apparently shot by mistake by IDF troops in two separate incidents during Kibbutz Nahal Oz battles
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An IDF investigation into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Eliaz, 17, in Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, has found that the two were likely killed by Israeli fire.
The probe, carried out by Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon — who is responsible for a larger and ongoing investigation into the entire battle at Nahal Oz — was presented to their families on Thursday evening. The IDF said on Friday that the probe was based on testimonies from soldiers, officers and civilians.
According to the investigation, on the morning of October 7, terrorists burst into the home Dikla shared with her long-time partner, Noam Elyakim, and opened fire on the door to their safe room. Elyakim, 46, was shot in the leg and seriously wounded.
The terrorists then stole Dikla’s phone and began a Facebook live-stream that showed her son Tomer walking around nearby houses in the kibbutz and calling the neighbors to come out of their homes, after being threatened by the terrorists.
The investigation found that after around an hour and a half, Tomer managed to flee from the terrorists and hide in the kibbutz.
Moments later, IDF troops, who had been battling numerous terrorists in Nahal Oz for some six hours, spotted a suspicious figure and opened fire.
“From the conclusions of the investigation, it appears that the figure was most likely the late Tomer Arava Eliaz, who was killed by fire from our forces in this incident due to a misidentification,” the IDF said, adding that the 17-year-old “acted bravely until the moment he was shot.”
At the same time, the terrorists abducted Noam and his two children Dafna and Ela, along with Dikla.
The investigation found that while the terrorists were heading toward Gaza with the four hostages, Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle.
The IDF said that the vehicle was identified by troops as a “vehicle of terrorists on the run,” while they were battling numerous terrorists in the kibbutz.
Dikla was killed as a result of the gunfire, according to the probe, and the terrorists abandoned the vehicle.
Her body was discovered and identified more than a week after the Hamas massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Noam was ultimately also killed on October 7, 2023, and his body was only found on October 17. The IDF’s probe did not detail the circumstances of his death.
Dafna and Ela were taken to Gaza, where they were held captive for 51 days before being released on November 26, 2023, as part of a week-long ceasefire deal. Their mother, Maayan Zin, who lives in Kiryat Ono in central Israel, campaigned heavily for their release in the weeks after they were taken hostage.
The IDF in its statement said it failed on October 7, but noted that “at the same time, the security forces, reservists, local security officers and civilians fought bravely.”
There has not thus far been a high-level state commission of inquiry into the multi-level failures leading up to and during the October 7 Hamas invasion, the establishment of which has repeatedly been rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most members of his government.
The IDF is conducting its own investigations into its failings before and during the October 7 assault, including its overall assumptions relating to the situation in Gaza and of Hamas, issues regarding intelligence and the decision-making process leading up to the attack, and the fighting after the invasion was staged.
It is believed that 94 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during the late November truce, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
