The Israeli army largely concluded yesterday that three hostages killed in November were likely victims of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, according to an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.
In a statement, the army said: “Based on the findings of the investigation, there is a strong possibility that the three were killed in an airstrike conducted during the assassination of Hamas’ Northern Brigade commander, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, on November 10, 2023.” The statement added that this assessment is based on the location where the bodies were found in relation to the strike’s impact, analysis of the strike’s performance, intelligence findings, medical reports, and the conclusions from the forensic institute.
The army further noted, “This is a highly probable assessment based on all available information, but it is impossible to definitively determine the exact circumstances of their deaths.” The investigation revealed that the three hostages were held in a tunnel complex where Al-Ghandour operated, and that the army was unaware of the hostages’ presence in the targeted complex at the time of the strike.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced yesterday that several Israeli soldiers were killed and injured in a complex operation east of Rafah, southern Gaza. The group stated: “In a combined operation in the Al-Janina neighborhood near the Abbad Al-Rahman Mosque east of Rafah, our fighters targeted a D9 military bulldozer with a Yassin 105 rocket.” They added, “When the rescue force advanced to the area, a troop carrier nearby, containing several soldiers, was hit with another Yassin 105 rocket, killing and injuring all those inside.”
Accusations
Politically, Hamas accused the United States of failing to exert sufficient pressure on Israel to stop the war in Gaza. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, stated that “the American administration is not exerting enough or appropriate pressure on Israel, instead trying to justify Israel’s evasion of any commitments.”
Hamdan further emphasized that the movement seeks a joint Palestinian governance of Gaza after the war, adding: “The day after must be Palestinian. We went to Beijing, we negotiated as Palestinians, and we agreed on the formation of a national unity government to manage Palestinian affairs in Gaza.” He also noted that Hamas still retains a significant capacity to continue fighting against Israel.
Failure
Israeli expert on Hamas, Eyal Ofer, stated that military pressure alone is insufficient to eliminate the group. In an interview broadcast by the Jerusalem Post, Ofer called for intensifying military operations in the Gaza Strip and increasing evacuation orders for Gaza’s residents. Ofer added, “The military pressure exerted by Israel since January has not been sufficient. We need to focus on the most substantial evidence, which is that there is nothing more that can be done in Gaza.”
