Israel says ‘high probability’ its own airstrike killed 3 hostages in Gaza last November

JERUSALEM (AP) — On Sunday, the Israeli military said there was a “high probability” that three hostages found dead months ago were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The army announced the conclusions of its investigation into the deaths of Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano. It said investigations had determined that the three were likely killed in a November airstrike that also killed a senior Hamas militant, Ahmed Ghandour.

All three of the hostages were kidnapped in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Their bodies were recovered in December, but the cause of death was only recently determined.

In its report, the army said there was a “high probability” they were killed in the strike, based on where the bodies were recovered, pathological reports and other intelligence. But it said, “it is not possible to definitely determine the circumstances of their deaths.”

The conclusions could add pressure on the government to strike a deal to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Critics say it’s too difficult and dangerous to try to rescue them. Late last month, Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages that it says were killed by Hamas captors shortly before Israeli forces arrived.

The army’s announcement is the first time it has linked the deaths of hostages to airstrikes. In other cases of bodies being recovered, the army has said people were either killed on Oct. 7, died in Hamas captivity or were killed by the militant group.

In December, the army acknowledged mistakenly killing three hostages who had escaped Hamas captivity in a battle-torn neighborhood of Gaza City. It was believed that the three had either fled their captors or been abandoned.

Around 250 hostages were taken on Oct. 7. Israel now believes 101 remain in captivity, including 35 who are thought to be dead. More than 100 were freed during a cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces.

Natalie Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Samy Magdy in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.