An inquiry into the killings of three Israeli hostages revealed that they were most likely killed in a military airstrike directed against a Hamas commander. Their bodies were discovered in underground tunnels in Gaza last year. The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that there was a “high probability” that the hostages were killed “as a result of an IDF airstrike” that targeted Hamas Northern Brigade commander Ahmed Ghandour. The investigation into the deaths of Nik Beizer, 19, Ron Sherman, 19, and Elia Toledano, 28 concluded as much. The IDF claims that on November 10, the military launched an attack while the three hostages were being held in a tunnel where Ghandour was working. The inquiry into their deaths was completed in recent days, and their bodies were discovered in a Hamas tunnel network on December 14.
The military claimed, “The IDF did not have knowledge of the existence of captives in the targeted complex at the time of the strike.” Although the reason of the three captives’ deaths was “not feasible to definitively ascertain,” the IDF stated that it was a “high probability” assessment. Its evaluation is predicated on several elements, such as intelligence reports, the site of their bodies’ discovery, an examination of the attack, and findings from the Forensic Medicine Institute. The IDF continued, saying, “The IDF shares in the families’ anguish at the devastating loss and will continue to accompany them.”
Sherman and Beizer were both in the Israeli army.In his first year of duty, Sherman was stationed at a location close to the Gaza border when Hamas launched an attack on the soldiers within. Sherman texted his mother, “Mom, I love you,” in Hebrew, shortly before he was kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on October 7. Sherman’s mother had previously alerted NBC News of this. The investigation’s conclusions give a further blow to Israel’s leadership, which is dealing with fierce internal demonstrations demanding an agreement on a cease-fire.
According to the IDF, it discovered and brought back to Israel the bodies of six hostages who were murdered by Hamas this month. Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following their murders. Some of the relatives of the hostages who are still being held captive in Gaza have also been vocal in their criticism of Netanyahu, claiming that he puts his personal political agenda before of the lives of their loved ones. In the Gaza Strip, an estimated 250 persons were kidnapped and held captive. During a brief cease-fire agreement at the end of November, more than 100 were freed before the agreement to halt hostilities collapsed. Since then, the military has either freed or discovered dead a few hostages. 101 hostages were estimated by the IDF to be in Gaza.