IDF representatives last night (Tuesday) visited the families of Sergeant Ron Sherman and Corporal Nik Beizer, two soldiers who were abducted during the Hamas massacre of October 7 and whose bodies were recovered from Gaza by the IDF last month. The representatives presented the families with the current results of the investigation into the circumstances of their captivity and deaths.
Their bodies were extracted from a Hamas tunnel by IDF forces in Jabaliya on December 14, 2023, together with the body of a third hostage, Elia Toledano. They were found near the site where the commander of Hamas' northern division, Ahmad Naji al-Ghandur, was killed.
The investigation showed that during the attack on the Hamas commander, the IDF did not know that there were hostages being held in the area. In addition, the forces found their bodies while investigating the tunnel and without prior intelligence about their discovery there.
The pathology report also showed that no signs of injury or gunshot wounds were found on their bodies, so they were not killed as a result of a direct hit from the IDF attack but were already dead.
Due to the condition of the bodies, it was not possible to determine the cause of death. At this stage, it cannot be ruled out or confirmed that they were killed as a result of asphyxiation, strangulation, poisoning, or succumbed to wounds from a previous IDF operation or inflicted by their Hamas captors.
Investigators will continue to attempt to determine the time and cause of death of the three hostages.
The IDF representatives emphasized to the families that during the attack in the underground area, there was no information about the presence of any hostages there.