Three hostages in Gaza were killed when a fire broke out in the building where they were being held.

Israeli military officials told relatives of the dead hostages that they had died because of an attack on the bunker where they were being held. The bodies of the three Israelis were found and rescued from Gaza last December, and the investigation has been ongoing for months.

It turned out that the hostages died as a result of the liquidation of five leaders, including the commander of the Hamas brigade. The attack was not planned to involve the kidnapped militants in the vicinity. During the military operations in Israel, fears were based on the possible use of hostages as a shield, but this did not stop the IDF from acting.

Of those kidnapped, Nick Beiser and Ron Sherman were military personnel, while Elia Toledano was kidnapped at a festival along with another girl. They were freed during the operations despite the risk of being used as cover by high-ranking militants.