Military says conclusions of its probe into the deaths the captives recommend an Israeli air strike probably killed them in November.
After denials for months, the Israeli army says there’s a “excessive chance” its air strike was chargeable for the deaths of three Israeli captives in Gaza in November.
The army on Sunday mentioned it was unaware the captives had been current in a tunnel within the Palestinian territory after they launched the assault on November 10, 2023.
The our bodies of the three captives – Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman and French-Israeli nationwide Elia Toledano – had been recovered on December 14. However the reason for loss of life was not decided.
“The findings of the investigation recommend a excessive chance that the three had been killed on account of a byproduct of an [Israeli army] air strike, through the elimination of the Hamas Northern Brigade commander, Ahmed Ghandour, on November tenth, 2023,” the army mentioned in a press release.
The army mentioned its investigation revealed that the three captives had been held in a tunnel advanced from which Ghandour operated.
“On the time of the strike, the [army] didn’t have details about the presence of hostages within the focused compound,” the army assertion mentioned.
All three captives had been amongst nearly 250 people kidnapped by the Palestinian group Hamas in its October 7 assault contained in the Israeli territory.
In its report, the military mentioned “it’s not doable to positively decide the circumstances of their deaths”.
The conclusions may add additional strain on the Israeli authorities to strike a deal to carry residence the remaining captives held by Hamas.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hamdah Salhut mentioned the Israeli military’s admission could possibly be “an embarrassment” for the federal government. Salhut was reporting from Amman, Jordan as a result of Al Jazeera has been banned by the Israeli authorities.
“There have been a collection of serious intelligence and safety failures that the army has gone via all through this struggle, probably the most notable of them again in December when the Israeli military shot and killed three captives within the Gaza Strip,” she mentioned.
Salhut mentioned the newest admission by the army “shouldn’t be being obtained fairly properly as a result of there are households of captives calling for a deal, fearing this precise sort of factor”.
“It’s definitely a humiliation on all scales, not simply politically however security-wise as properly, that the military made this admission so many months later.”
