The Israeli soldier who mistakenly shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza City did not adhere to Israel’s rules of engagement, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on Saturday.
The official informed the press that the hostages were wearing civilian attire and were waving a white flag prior to being shot, according to an initial investigation into the incident. Israel claims that in order to fool the military, Hamas members wear civilian attire.
At first, the exact number of Israeli soldiers involved was unknown.
Israeli forces and the militant group Hamas have been engaged in intense ground fighting in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of eastern Gaza City since Israel launched its invasion in response to the attacks on October 7. The incident occurred on Friday in this area.
The Israeli Defense Forces mistakenly saw three captive Israelis as a danger while fighting in Shijaiyah. According to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Friday, the Israeli military opened fire on the group, resulting in their deaths.
“This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened,” he stated to journalists.
It is still unknown how the Israeli soldier came to see the hostages and why he thought they posed a threat.
In the midst of a skirmish, the captives “fled or were abandoned” according to an initial evaluation, according to Hagari. In response to a question about whether the kidnapped individuals raised their hands or spoke Hebrew, Hagari simply said that the military’s investigation was ongoing.
Israel has been deeply troubled by the hostages issue since October 7. More and more hostages have spoken out about the conditions they endured in captivity in recent weeks, adding to the mounting pressure on Israel’s political elite from the families of the hostages and missing.
Israelis were saddened and outraged on Friday by the news that three had been killed by an Israeli soldier.
Protesters numbering in the thousands rushed to the Tel Aviv military headquarters shortly after the announcement—which was made after sundown on the Jewish Sabbath—over the hostages’ deaths.
The 30-year-old protester Ella Vinokur expressed her “rage” in response to the recent news. Her voice quivered as she pleaded for further talks to liberate the surviving hostages, saying that the military operation to remove threats to Israel must take a “second place” to people falling victim.
“The sadness and the suffering, it just keeps piling up,” added 37-year-old Addam Yekutieli. “It’s even more of a tragic sign that the trajectory that we’re on — it’s not the right one.”
A statement was issued by the Israeli military expressing “deep remorse” for the incident.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, “this is an active combat zone” where fighting has been going on for several days. The incident has taught us valuable lessons, and we have shared them with all of our IDF soldiers serving in the field,” the military announced.
Yotam Haim (28), Samer Talalka (25), and Alon Shamriz (26), according to the Israeli military, were the three casualties.
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that Talalka, an Israeli Bedouin, was working at a poultry hatchery in Kibbutz Nir Am with his father on Oct. 7 when militants attacked. According to the group, the kidnappers targeted two residents of Kibbutz Kfar Aza—a musician named Haim and a student of computer engineering named Shamriz.
The captors marked 70 days of holding the hostages on Friday.
More than 240 people, including Israelis and foreigners, were abducted by militants during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. A seven-day ceasefire was signed late last month in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel. As a result, around 110 people were freed, the majority of them during that time.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reports that at least 110 others are believed to be alive and held in captivity in Gaza. Israeli authorities estimate that another twenty people have died, and that Hamas is holding their bodies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel issued a statement in which he and the entire Israeli people expressed their “deep sorrow” over the abduction of three of their sons. “My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time.”
