Israel’s Army Said It Has Shot And Killed Three Of Its Own Hostages By Mistake In Gaza
An initial investigation into the incident found that the three men had been holding up a white flag when they were shot.
The Israeli military has announced that it has mistakenly shot and killed three of its own hostages in Gaza.
Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday Dec. 15 during a press briefing that the entire Israeli military mistakenly identified the three hostages, who had been kidnapped by Hamas, as a threat and fired on them, killing them.
Hagari named two hostages as Yotam Haim and Samer El-Talalqa, who were taken during Hamas’ attack on two kibbutzes during its Oct. 7 attack. The third hostage was later identified as Alon Shamriz.
An initial investigation into the incident found that the three men had been holding up a white flag when they were shot.
“They’re all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they’re terrorists, they (forces) open fire, two are killed immediately,” a military official said, according to Reuters.
The official said the third hostage was wounded and retreated into a nearby building where he called for help in Hebrew.
“Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there’s another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies,” the official said. “This was against our rules of engagement,” he added.
Israeli authorities said the incident occurred “in a combat zone” with Hamas, adding that it had encountered Hamas fighters without guns previously.
He expressed “deep sorrow” and promised there would be “full transparency” in the investigation.
He added that troops had been given “lessons” on how to identify hostages to prevent mistakes from happening again, according to the New York Times.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, which represents the families of hostages, said it shared in the “profound grief” of the families.
“Yotam was a gifted musician and dedicated metal music fan who idolized the band Megadeth… Samer was an avid motorcyclist who loved to ride around the countryside and spend time with friends and Alon’s family and friends described him as a lover of life and a dedicated basketball fan,” the forum said.
“Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the death of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped. My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Following the announcement, protests broke out outside of Israel’s central military base in Tel Aviv, with people marching through the city to demand a deal to bring home the hostages immediately.
