Ex-Israeli commander says army fire killed most hostages in Jabalia

A former Israeli military commander and negotiator has revealed that most Israeli hostages held in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza were killed by Israeli army fire, not by their captors. Nitzan Alon, in an interview with the daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Tuesday, attributed the deaths to critical "intelligence gaps" during Israel's military operations.

Hostages perished in Israeli strikes on holding sites

Alon stated that many hostages who had arrived in Gaza alive later died when Israeli forces bombed the buildings where they were being held. He cited one specific incident in December 2023 where three hostages were killed due to "incorrect assumptions on the ground." According to Alon, hostages' testimonies repeatedly mentioned "the fear caused by our airstrikes," and Hamas's military wing had broadcast videos of captives pleading for an end to the bombardment, appeals that were ignored by Tel Aviv.

Context of the ceasefire and ongoing disputes

These admissions come amid a fragile ceasefire that took effect on October 10 under a US-brokered plan, halting two years of conflict that killed over 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The first phase involved hostage-prisoner exchanges, but the process is stalled. Israel insists on receiving all hostage remains before starting the second phase, claiming one body is still in Gaza, while Hamas asserts it has handed over all living hostages and the remains of those killed.

Implications for accountability and military strategy

Alon's comments undermine official Israeli narratives and raise severe questions about the military's rules of engagement and intelligence coordination. He also downplayed the impact of the hostages' families' protests on negotiations. The revelations point to a profound operational failure with devastating human costs for both sides, challenging the stated objective of the military campaign to rescue captives and suggesting significant internal accountability issues within the Israeli defense establishment.