Germany opens new inquiry into 1972 Olympic massacre of Israeli team

Eleven Israelis ended up dead after they were taken hostage by Palestinian militants

Palestinian attackers infiltrated the Olympic Village during the 1972 Munich Olympics. AP

Germany has appointed a panel of experts to review the massacre of 11 Israelis at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

The eight-person commission of German and Israeli historians is meant to address complaints raised by the families of the victims that their questions remain unanswered 51 years later.

The Israeli team members, including athletes, coaches and judges, were taken hostage by Palestinian militants who infiltrated the Olympic Village in Munich.

A failed rescue attempt ended with all the captives, five militants and a West German police officer dead.

Three attackers who escaped the shoot-out were later let go during the hijacking of a German Lufthansa plane.

Senior German politicians have described the attack as a shameful security failure that marred Germany's post-war reconciliation with Israel.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the new commission would consider events before and after the massacre, including the way victims' families were treated.

“It is shameful that pressing questions were left open for far too long,” she said.

“We want to and have to learn from it. We have to show more empathy and support towards people whose lives were dramatically altered by attacks.”

Ankie Spitzer, the widow of one of the Israeli athletes and a representative for victims' families, welcomed the opening of official archives.

The new inquiry “means a lot to us families”, she said.

Members of the panel include academics from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, as well as universities in Germany, the US and the UK.

Families were promised the review after threatening to boycott 50th anniversary commemorations last year. German authorities also put up €28 million ($30.7 million) in compensation.