JERUSALEM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military announced on Sunday that three hostages, found dead in a Gaza tunnel months ago, were "in a high probability" mistakenly killed by the military during a November operation targeting a senior Hamas commander.
The military's statement, announcing the completion of an investigation into the deaths of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, and Elia Toledano, concluded that the three were likely killed in an Israeli airstrike aimed at assassinating Hamas Northern Brigade commander Ahmed Ghandour on Nov. 10, 2023.
The findings were based on the location of the bodies relative to the strike's impact, performance analysis of the airstrike, intelligence findings, pathological reports, and conclusions from the Israeli Forensic Medicine Institute.
The three hostages were believed to have been held in the tunnel complex used by Ghandour. "At the time of the strike, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) did not have information about the presence of hostages in the targeted compound," the military stated. "Furthermore, there was information suggesting that they were located elsewhere, and thus the area was not designated as one with suspected presence of hostages."
The military emphasized that, since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, it has avoided striking areas suspected of containing hostages. "The IDF operates a mechanism through the Headquarters of the Hostages and Missing Persons in the Intelligence Directorate, aimed at ensuring that offensive actions do not harm hostages wherever possible, and invests significant efforts in gathering information about the hostages," the military said.
The findings are expected to further intensify nationwide protests demanding the release of approximately 101 individuals still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Families of the hostages are calling for a ceasefire agreement that would secure their release. ■
