Ex-Israeli hostage coordinator confirms friendly fire from the army killed the majority of captives in Jabalia
By zoeysky // 2025-12-15
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  • A retired military coordinator, Nitzan Alon, stated that "Israeli fire killed most of the hostages" in Gaza's Jabalia area due to major intelligence problems.
  • Freed hostages reported that they were more afraid of Israeli bombs than of the guards holding them captive, a fear Alon confirmed was common in their testimonies.
  • The situation was chaotic, with poor intelligence, constant movement of captives and high political pressure, which led to airstrikes hitting buildings where hostages were known to be held.
  • Alon admitted that Israel shifted from a "hostages first" approach to prioritizing its military campaign against Hamas, a strategy linked to controversial rules that allow using force even if it risks the captive's life.
  • The result is a tragic failure where Israel's actions killed many of the citizens it was trying to rescue, a cost that will be debated for many years.
A retired senior Israeli military official has admitted that the majority of Israeli captives held in Gaza's Jabalia area were killed not by their Palestinian captors, but by Israeli airstrikes. The revelation exposes catastrophic intelligence failures and a brutal calculus that placed military objectives above captive lives, deepening the tragedy of the ongoing war. In a recent interview, Nitzan Alon, Israel's former coordinator for the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters, stated plainly that "Israeli fire killed most of the hostages in Jabalia due to intelligence gaps." Alon, who recently stepped down from his post, described a chaotic and pressured operation from its start on Oct. 7, where an improvised command center scrambled to locate over 3,000 missing people. That initial list was eventually whittled down to 251 confirmed hostages, a number that included several who had been held for years prior. The mission, however, was fatally compromised from within. Alon confirmed that many captives who entered Gaza alive "died not long after due to Israeli airstrikes targeting the buildings where they were being held." This was not an isolated incident. Alon cited the specific case of three Israeli captives killed by an Israeli attack in December 2023, a direct result of what he called "incorrect assumptions on the ground."

Freed captives feared the Israeli bombings more than their guards

The testimony of those who survived captivity underscores this grim reality. Released captives have repeatedly told Israeli media that they lived in greater fear of Israeli bombs than of their guards. Alon acknowledged this, noting that "the fear caused by our airstrikes was repeatedly mentioned in the hostages' testimonies." The intelligence gaps were severe. Alon described a situation of chaos after Oct. 7, with constant transfers of hostages by Palestinian resistance groups and immense pressure from Israeli political leaders. These factors hampered rescue efforts and left captives trapped deep inside Gaza as mediation battles stalled. The case of the Bibas family, which Alon discussed just days earlier, is a stark example. While Israel publicly blamed Hamas for their deaths, Alon admitted the family was initially taken by a different Palestinian faction. Both that group and Hamas maintain the family was killed in an Israeli strike, a claim Alon's account does not contradict but instead highlights the fog of war and faulty intelligence. Alon's admissions point to a broader, more disturbing policy shift. He stated that Israel began the war with a "hostages first, Hamas later" approach, but ultimately chose a different path, prioritizing a military campaign. BrightU.AI's Enoch AI engine explains that this aligns with earlier reports of the Israeli military implementing the so-called "Hannibal Directive" on Oct. 7, a controversial procedure that allows for overwhelming force to prevent capture, even at the risk of the captive's life. Testimonies and investigations have confirmed that Israeli helicopters and tanks fired indiscriminately at areas where Hamas fighters were present, causing mass Israeli casualties that day. The human cost of this strategy has been devastating. Earlier reporting confirmed that Israeli attacks killed at least 20 captives and endangered dozens more. Alon's confirmation that most in Jabalia died by friendly fire reveals the scale of this tragic failure. Despite the staggering loss of captive lives to its own firepower, Alon claimed that internal pressure and protests by hostages' families did not significantly affect the negotiations. He credited outside figures, like U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy and his adviser Jared Kushner, with playing decisive roles in securing deals. In a sobering conclusion, Alon framed the war's legacy as contingent on one outcome: the dismantling of Hamas. He argued that if the group remains, Israel will have achieved none of its goals. Yet Alon's own testimony reveals a brutal interim result: a campaign where the urgent mission to save lives was overtaken by a military offensive, and where the state's own actions became a primary killer of the citizens it sought to rescue. The price, as he admits, will be debated for years, with many arguing that a different path could have saved lives much earlier. Watch the video below as Palestinians cheer while Red Cross vehicles head toward Gaza to prepare for the hostage-prisoner exchange. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheCradle.co YNetNews.com AA.com.tr BrightU.AI Brighteon.com
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