A viral video shared on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show an Israeli Army Commander allegedly admitting an Israeli tank killed Israeli hostages.

Israeli Army Commander admits they handcuffed 2 couples inside a house then used tanks to destroy the building.

15 civilians were burned to death including 8 babies…🇮🇱🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/1V4iUsA3RM

— Pelham (@Resist_05) December 8, 2023

Verdict: False

The commander describes actions taken by Hamas in a longer version of the video shared on YouTube by U.K.-based outlet The Sun, as well as in a transcript of the video from the Anadolu Agency. An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson also debunked the claim in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

The IDF has shared that about one-fifth of Israeli soldiers have been killed as a result of accidents or “friendly fire” since the start of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, according to NBC News. Multiple factors, including soldiers not paying attention to regulations, are believed to have played a role in the number of deaths, the Times of Israel reported.

The X video, viewed over one million times, purports to show an Israeli Army Commander allegedly admitting an Israeli tank killed Israeli hostages. “Two couples, two men, two women [were] handcuffed. Inside this house were another 15 burnt people, among them eight babies. They were concentrated them and they killed them, and they burned them,” the commander says. “Our tanks attacked,” he adds.

Off-camera, someone asks the commander if the tanks “fired on them.” “Yeah, because they were blocked in these houses, and we need to conquer back the whole settlement. It couldn’t be happened without the tanks,” the commander responds.

The commander is not admitting that an Israeli tank killed Israeli hostages, however. In a longer version of the video shared on YouTube by The Sun, the commander describes actions taken by Hamas.

The commander, identified by the outlet as Col. Golan Vac, describes Hamas’ actions beginning at the 1:19-minute mark of the video. Vac again says how the hostages were concentrated in one area where they were killed and burned. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show A Crisis Actor In Gaza Holding A Baby Doll)

Additionally, a transcript of the video from the Anadolu Agency reveals that Israelis were killed when army tanks tried to reclaim an area that was overtaken by Hamas.

“This destruction is due to the attack by our tanks. Since these houses were seized by Hamas, we had to reclaim the entire settlement. It wouldn’t have been possible without tanks,” Vac said, according to the transcript.

An IDF spokesperson also debunked the claim in an email to Check Your Fact.

“The clip in question is part of a broader briefing on Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians, and has in some cases been taken out of context in an attempt to clear Hamas of responsibility from its deliberate and well documented massacre of Israeli communities. As to your question, the killing and the burning of Israeli civilians was done by Hamas,” the spokesperson said.