Three Israeli hostages who were found dead inside Hamas’ tunnel network last year died as a “byproduct” of a military airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.
The IDF confirmed on Sunday that its Nov. 10 airstrike aimed at killing top Hamas commander Ahmed Ghandour in Jabaliya likely caused the deaths of hostages Sgt. Ron Sherman, Cpl. Nik Beizer and Elia Toledano.
“The findings of the investigation suggest that the three, with high probability, were killed by a byproduct of an IDF airstrike, during the assassination” the Israeli military said.
“This is a highly probable estimate given all the data, but it is not possible to determine with certainty the circumstances of their death,” the IDF added.
While the military declined to elaborate on the victims’ cause of death, family members believe their loved ones likely suffocated to death inside the collapsed tunnel following the airstrike.
The IDF said it knew that the three hostages were being held in the tunnel complex where Ghandour was operating in northern Gaza, but Israeli intelligence informed them that the three men were located elsewhere.
Beizer’s mother, Katy, said it was unacceptable for the IDF to have launched an attack against such a high-ranking commander without thinking that he was likely using hostages like her son as human shields.
“It’s amazing they didn’t have intelligence, that they didn’t think there were hostages next to Gandour,” she told Israel’s Walla news outlet, the Times of Israel reports.
Both Beizer and Sherman were members of the IDF’s COGAT Gaza District Coordination and Liaison team, which oversees the travel of aid and goods into Gaza from the Erez Crossing.
The men were among the troops captured when Hamas took over the crossing on Oct. 7, with Toledano taken hostage while he was attending the Nova music festival with his friend, Mia Schem.
Hamas previously teased the death of the three men in a cruel propaganda video before the IDF managed to recover the bodies in December.
While the IDF says it does not conduct airstrikes where it believes hostages are located, Hamas has alleged that Israeli airstrikes have killed multiple captives.
Former Israeli hostages have echoed the allegations, stating that the hiding locations where they were being held had been rocked by Israeli airstrikes.
Israel estimates that at least 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas remain in Gaza, with at least 33 of the captives believed to be dead.
