Tel-Aviv.- The Israeli military said Sunday there was a “high probability” that three hostages found dead several months ago were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The Army today announced the conclusions of its investigation into the deaths of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano.
Investigations, he added, determined that the three were likely killed in the November airstrike, which also killed a senior Palestinian Hamas leader, Ahmed Ghandour. The three were among those abducted during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year. Their bodies were recovered in December, but the cause of death was only recently discovered.
In its report, the military said there was a “high probability” that the three were killed in the airstrike, based on where the bodies were found, pathology reports and other intelligence. But it cautioned that “it is not possible to definitively clarify the circumstances of their deaths.”
The findings could increase pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring back the remaining hostages. Critics say trying to rescue them is too difficult and dangerous. Last month, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages it says were killed by Hamas captors before soldiers arrived. It is the first time the Israeli military has linked hostage deaths to bombings. In previous cases where it has found hostage bodies, it has said they died on Oct. 7, died in captivity or were killed by Hamas. In December, Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three hostages in Gaza City, thinking they were hostile troops. All three are thought to have escaped or been abandoned by their captors. About 250 people were kidnapped and taken hostage by Palestinian militants in their Oct. 7 attack. Israel estimates that 101 remain in captivity, including 35 who may have already died. More than 100 were freed in a November swap for Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces. Also on Sunday, an Israeli Border Patrol officer was stabbed in Jerusalem near Damascus Gate and the attacker was shot dead as he tried to escape, police said. The Border Patrol officer was not seriously injured and was evacuated for treatment. Police cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.
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