IDF Admits “High Probability” Israeli Strike Killed 3 Hostages, Kin Slam “Incredible” Intel

On September 15, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted that there was a “high probability” that three Israeli hostages were killed in a strike on Gaza on November 10, 2023. The IDF’s investigation revealed that the deaths of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, and French-Israeli civilian Elia Toledano were likely a “byproduct” of an airstrike targeting Hamas Northern Brigade commander Ahmed Ghandour. At the time, the IDF did not have information about the hostages’ presence in the targeted tunnel complex in Jabaliya.The investigation found that the airstrike, aimed at Ghandour’s location, was based on flawed intelligence suggesting the hostages were elsewhere. The IDF acknowledged that while it is impossible to definitively determine the exact circumstances of the hostages’ deaths, the assessment was based on available information including the location of the bodies, strike impact, and forensic reports.Katy Beizer, mother of Corporal Nik Beizer, criticised the IDF, expressing disbelief that the military did not anticipate the possibility of captives being used as human shields. In January, a pathology report indicated that the bodies showed no signs of trauma or gunfire, leading the family to suspect suffocation or carbon dioxide poisoning within the tunnel.The three hostages were among about 250 people abducted by Hamas on October 7. Beizer and Sherman, both 19, were seized from the Erez Crossing, while Toledano, 28, was kidnapped from the Supernova festival. Despite some hostages being released during temporary truces, 97 of the original 251 remain in Gaza, including at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.