WASHINGTON – The Israel Defense Forces found it “most likely” killed three Israeli hostages in an airstrike last year.
According to NBC News, the IDF said the hostages, Nik Beizer, 19, Ron Sherman, 19, and Elia Toledano, 28, were being held in a tunnel where Hamas commander Ahmed Ghandour was allegedly operating when the military struck on Nov. 10, 2023. Their bodies were found on Dec. 14.
“At the time of the strike, the IDF did not have information about the presence of hostages in the targeted compound,” the military said.
The IDF’s investigation found a “high probability” but it was “not possible to definitively determine” the cause of the three hostages’ deaths, according to the military.
According to the United Nations and Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israel has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza and more 600 in the West Bank. 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have died since the Oct. 7 attacks, according to the UN.
The IDF found six more bodies this month they said were killed by Hamas. The discovery prompted protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tens of thousands Israelis joined by the relatives of hostages who remain in Gaza accuse Netanyahu of prioritizing his own political agenda over the lives of the hostages.
