The Israeli military has confirmed that the bodies of three hostages, identified as Ron Sherman, Nik Beizer, and Elia Toledano, were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza last December. The revelation comes after a months-long delay in disclosing the full details of their deaths.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the Israeli army informed the families of the hostages that their loved ones were inadvertently killed during an air strike targeting a senior Hamas official. The army reportedly was unaware of the hostages' presence in the area and has been aware of this information since February, but chose not to make it public until now.

The hostages were originally taken alive by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Their bodies were discovered in December in a Gaza tunnel. At that time, the Israeli military had stated that an investigation was underway and that the cause of death was not immediately clear, with initial reports suggesting suffocation or poisoning.

It has since emerged that pathological findings revealed the hostages were in the tunnel where Hamas commander Ahmad Ghandour was killed. However, the army did not disclose these details publicly, leading to accusations from the hostages' families and subsequent additional tests that confirmed the hostages were killed in an Israeli attack.

Channel 12 reported that senior Israeli military officials, including Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, made the decision not to release this information to the public. In response to the reports, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari has denied allegations of any cover-up.

The Israeli military has previously acknowledged instances where hostages were killed in Gaza during military operations. The conflict has resulted in a high number of casualties on both sides, with ongoing disputes over the treatment of prisoners and the conduct of military actions.