Israel admits killing three hostages by mistake

Hostage victims, from left, Nik Beizer, Ron Sherman, and Elia Toledano

Israel’s military has admitted there was “a high probability” that three hostages died as a result of an airstrike in Gaza, 10 months after they were killed.

The families of soldiers Ron Sherman and Nik Beizer, both 19, and civilian Elia Toledano, 28, were informed that Israeli Defence Forces’ fire was responsible for their deaths.

A joint investigation was conducted by officers of the forces’ intelligence directorate, as well as operational commanders from the Israeli Air Force, and officers from the headquarters of the hostages and missing persons.

All three hostages were abducted on October 7, when more than 250 were taken captive and about 1100 mostly civilians were murdered in a Hamas attack.

The report stated there was “a high probability that the three were killed as a result of a byproduct of an IDF airstrike during the elimination of the Hamas northern brigade commander, Ahmed Ghandour, on November 10, 2023″.

However, it added that “it is not possible to definitively determine the circumstances of their deaths”.

The investigation indicated that the three hostages were held in the tunnel complex in Jabalia from which Ghandour operated. The forces said that at the time of the strike it did not have information about the presence of hostages in the targeted compound.

Hostage victims, from left, Nik Beizer, Ron Sherman, and Elia Toledano

“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 investigation said, adding that throughout the war, the forces have not struck areas where there are indications or suspicions of the presence of hostages.

The bodies were recovered from Gaza on December 14 and brought back to Israel for burial.

“The IDF continues, even at this moment, to exert all efforts to fulfil the paramount national mission of bringing all of the hostages home,” the report concluded.

In December, the forces accidentally shot and killed three hostages, Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Al-Talalka, fearing they were Hamas operatives posing as hostages. They went public on the tragedy just hours after it happened.

More recently, in February, the forces also said it was likely an airstrike had killed hostage Yossi Sharabi. As his body had not been recovered, the chance he had been killed by Hamas could also not be ruled out, the IDF said.