IDF admits giving parents of captured troops edited audio, checking again for more tape

The military admits it passed parents of surveillance troops edited recordings from the capture of their daughters on October 7, 2023, but insists that it included any section of tape in which the surveillance soldiers can be heard.

The army handed over the recordings to families Monday following a year-long court battle, but parents quickly complained that the audio had been edited and included only sections from hours before the onslaught. Only some of the soldiers can be heard in the tapes, the families say.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces says it is performing another check after already surveying communications between surveillance posts in the lead-up to the assault to find the audio it handed over to the parents.

“The IDF is committed to the bereaved families and does not hide information from them,” the army says in a statement. “As explained to the families with the handing over of the tapes, the clips that were transferred were recordings in which only their loved ones can be heard.”

According to a military source, the omitted sections include conversations between combat soldiers. “Due to privacy concerns, the families of the surveillance troops could not be handed these sections,” the source says in a statement sent to military reporters on condition of anonymity.

“The IDF… regrets any mental anguish it has caused [the families], and had no intention of adding to their suffering,” the army adds.