Israeli army mistakenly killed 3 hostages in December, covered it up: Media

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army mistakenly killed three captives, including two soldiers, during a raid on Gaza in December and concealed it from the public, local media reported Monday.

Israel’s Channel 12 said the three Israeli captives -- Nik Beizer, Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano -- were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a senior military leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in northern Gaza.

According to the channel, the Israeli army did not know there were Israeli captives present along with the Hamas leader but has known the details of their deaths since February but chose not to publicize them.

In mid-December, the army said it retrieved the bodies of three Israelis from a tunnel who were captured alive by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Commenting on the report, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three Israelis and will present the results to their families.

Similar incidents of killing Israeli captives were announced by the army in the course of its devastating bombardments across the Gaza Strip since Oct 7.

Israel estimates that over 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 41,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar