GAZA – The Israeli army announced on Sunday, September 15, that three hostages who died in Gaza in November have been ” probably “ killed by an Israeli strike, according to the results of an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths. They are Nick Beizer, Ron Sherman and Elya Tolédano, who had all three been held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
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“According to the results of the investigation, there is a high probability that the three were killed as a result of an airstrike by the army (…) on November 10, 2023”the army said in a statement. The IDF said they were killed “during the elimination of the commander of the Hamas Northern Brigade, Ahmed Ghandour”.
“The investigation indicates that the three hostages were being held in an underground complex from where Ghandour was operating.”the statement added, specifying that the army had not “no information on the presence of hostages in the targeted complex” by the strike. Hamas confirmed at the end of November that Ahmed Ghandour had been killed by the Israeli army.
Demand the release of the hostages
A relative of one of the three hostages confirmed to AFP that he had been informed of the results of this investigation just a few hours before the publication of the press release.
In early September, massive demonstrations took place in Israel, demanding the immediate release of the hostages, and against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. 750,000 Israelis demanded that the Prime Minister’s government reach an agreement to release the remaining prisoners in Gaza.
The demonstration came less than a week after a general strike called by the powerful Histadrut trade union center, linked to the discovery by the Israeli army of six bodies in a ” tunnel in Rafah area ».
Despite international pressure and fears of a regional military escalation, Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to compromise to find an agreement with Hamas on a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages. The far-right Prime Minister does not want to give in on the Philadelphia Corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
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