Left to right: Elia Toledano, Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman. Their remains were found on December 15, 2023. (Courtesy Photo)
After months of denials, the Israeli military admits there’s a “high probability” that an airstrike they carried out led to the deaths of three Israeli captives in Gaza this past November.
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On Sunday, the military said they were unaware that the captives were in a tunnel in the Palestinian territory when the attack happened on November 10, 2023.
The bodies of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, and French-Israeli Elia Toledano were discovered on December 14. The precise cause of death remains undetermined.
“The investigation points to a high likelihood that the three were casualties of an [Israeli army] airstrike aimed at eliminating Hamas’s Northern Brigade commander Ahmed Ghandour on November 10th, 2023,” stated the military.
The military’s probe revealed the captives were held in a tunnel network from which Ghandour was operating.
“At the moment of the strike, the [army] had no intel regarding the presence of hostages in the targeted location,” added the military.
“There was alternate information suggesting they were in a different spot, so the area wasn’t flagged as potentially holding hostages.”
These three were among approximately 250 people abducted by Hamas in their October 7 attack inside Israeli territory. Only around 100 are still believed to be held in Gaza.
The army’s report states “it’s not possible to definitely ascertain the circumstances of their deaths.”
‘A Real Head-Scratcher’
These conclusions might increase the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to negotiate the return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, since Israel barred Al Jazeera, remarked that the army’s admission is likely “an embarrassment” for the government.
Salhut noted, “The military has faced significant intelligence and security setbacks in this war, the most notable being the December incident where the Israeli army killed three captives in the Gaza Strip.”
She continued, “Families of captives have been urging for a deal, fearing exactly this scenario.”
“It’s undoubtedly an embarrassment on multiple levels—politically and security-wise—that the army is confessing this move months after the fact.”
‘Unlikely to End Conflict’
Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz, expressed skepticism that the revelation—Israel likely killed another three captives—will sway the course of the War in Gaza.
Levy noted that while the deaths highlight the failure of military efforts to rescue captives alive, Netanyahu remains committed to the strategy. Opposition parties largely harbor the anger against him.
“Opposition groups protest weekly on TV, persistently pressing Netanyahu to step down,” Levy told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv. “But his supporters remain steadfast, unwavering in their backing of whatever he does.”
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, questioned whether the Israeli army’s actions were deliberate.
“The talk is about liberation, but they surely know that even with precise operations, the chances of saving the captives are slim,” he opined.
The conflict in Gaza flared up following Hamas’s October 7 attack, which claimed over 1,100 lives, mostly civilians, as cited by Israeli officials. Since then, at least 41,206 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military actions in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
