Former Israeli military chief admits airstrikes killed Gaza hostages

Herzi Halevi, the former head of the Israel Defense Forces, acknowledged on Sunday that Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed some of the people held captive by Palestinian groups. Speaking at a conference in New York organized by Shurat Hadin, Halevi said the military applied pressure on Gaza to secure the release of these individuals, while conceding that the tactics resulted in fatalities among the captives.

Halevi, who resigned as military chief last year, provided the first high-level public admission from a former top commander regarding the death of hostages in Israeli strikes. He stated, “Our bombs killed hostages. We did not know they were there.” This statement follows reports that Israeli forces applied the Hannibal Directive along the Gaza border during the initial hours of the conflict. That controversial order prioritized preventing the capture of soldiers over their survival, even if it meant killing them.

A total of 251 people were taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Most were returned alive through prisoner exchanges with Hamas. Approximately 87 died in captivity in Gaza or were brought to the territory after dying elsewhere. Israeli authorities had previously resisted claims that their own strikes caused these deaths, often blaming Hamas instead.

In October 2025, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that officials believed many captives were killed by Israeli strikes, particularly early in the war. Halevi’s comments align with those internal assessments, offering a direct account from a former leader of the military operation. He described the October 7 attack as a preventable failure but rejected the idea that internal betrayal was the primary cause.

Halevi argued that a conspiracy involving Hamas would require a large network of collaborators. He noted that after three years of investigation, no such individuals had been identified. “Helping Hamas would require not just one person collaborating, but a very broad network. After three years, not even one such person has been found,” he said.