Sun Sep 15 16:18:16 UTC 2024: ## Israeli Military Confirms Airstrike Likely Killed Three Hostages in Gaza
**JERUSALEM** – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has concluded an investigation revealing a high probability that three Israeli hostages – Col. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman, and French-Israeli civilian Elia Toledano – were killed in an IDF airstrike in November 2023.
The hostages were abducted by Hamas on October 7th and their bodies were recovered from a tunnel in Jabaliya on December 14th. The investigation, which included evidence from the scene, pathology reports, and battlefield analysis, determined that the three were likely killed by a byproduct of the airstrike targeting Hamas brigade chief Ahmed Ghandour.
Initially, the families of the hostages were informed that they had been killed by their Hamas captors. However, the IDF later confirmed that the airstrike was likely responsible. While the investigation points to the airstrike with high probability, the IDF stated it is impossible to determine the circumstances of their death with absolute certainty.
The families of the soldiers, Beizer and Sherman, had demanded a full account of how their sons died.
The November 10th airstrike was intended to eliminate Ghandour, who was hiding in a tunnel. At the time, the IDF did not have information about the hostages being present in the targeted compound and believed they were elsewhere.
In December, the IDF revealed finding five hostage bodies, including the three later confirmed as likely killed by the IDF. Two other hostages, Eden Zakaria and Ziv Dado, were also among the recovered bodies.
The investigation comes amidst a tense situation in Gaza, where an estimated 101 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.
First Piper 