After months of denial, the Israeli army has confirmed that Gaza captives Ron Sherman, Nick Beiser, and Elia Toledano were killed in an Israeli strike in December 2023, Al Jazeera reports according to Israeli media.

At the time, it was reported that the pathological examination could not definitively determine the cause of death for two of the captives.

The military told the families of the captives there was no intelligence suggesting their presence in the underground area targeted during the operation, which resulted in the death of commander Ahmed Ghandour.

Israeli soldiers discovered the captives’ bodies during subsequent searches of the tunnels, and had no prior knowledge of their location, the army told the families.

The forensic report showed no signs of trauma or gunshot wounds, suggesting the captives were not killed by direct impact from the strike. Due to the condition of the remains, the exact cause of death could not be determined.