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IDF confirms 3 hostages were killed by airstrikes in Gaza City

The IDF took exception to Channel 12’s suggestion of a cover-up, although it hasn’t yet explained why the circumstances were concealed for so long. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that three of the five dead hostages it recovered in Gaza City in December were killed by Israeli airstrikes.

Previously, the IDF reported recovering the five bodies, describing the cause of death of two of them while only hinting at the circumstances surrounding the other three deceased hostages.

In similar circumstances, the IDF blames Hamas for the deaths, but in this case, the indictment against the terror group was absent, with reports that airstrikes may have been the cause but with no confirmation of this.

The confirmation arrived between Monday and Tuesday when Israel’s military revealed the fact to the families of the deceased before releasing it to the public.

The IDF took exception to Channel 12‘s suggestion of a cover-up, although it has yet to explain why the circumstances were concealed for so long.

In mid-December, the IDF found the bodies of two hostages and provided the names and the cause of death.
At the time, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that IDF special forces operating in Gaza brought back the remains of 36-year-old Sergeant Major Ziv Dado and 27-year-old Eden Zakaria.

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The military reported that both of them had been killed on October 7th, and their bodies were taken into Gaza.

Later on, the IDF found the bodies of Elia Toledano, Nik Beizer, and Ron Sherman, who were killed accidentally by airstrikes.

A Hamas propaganda video showed the three of them holding papers with their names and information. In a statement, the terror group said that they “tried to keep them alive – but Netanyahu insisted on killing them.”

Troops had been involved in destroying a massive tunnel using 13 tons of explosives.

Regarding the deaths of the other three hostages, at the time, the IDF reported it was still probing the cause of their deaths.