IRIA News

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed responsibility for mistakenly killing three Israeli hostages in Gaza. The hostages were shot dead by the Israeli soldiers during a combat operation in Shejaiya in northern Gaza, while they were holding a white cloth and asking for help in Hebrew.

The IDF expressed “deep remorse” while announcing the death of the three hostages. The IDF said that its soldiers “mistakenly identified” the Israeli hostages as a threat during a combat operation and opened fire on them. 28-year-old Yotam Haim, 22-year-old Samer Talalka, and 26-year-old Alon Shamri were killed.

A senior IDF official described the events from the initial investigation report. He stated that the three men emerged shirtless from a building, with one carrying a stick with a white cloth. One of the soldiers felt threatened by the shirtless hostages, as the men were only meters away.

The soldier declared the hostages as “terrorists” and opened fire. Two were immediately killed while the third, heavily wounded, returned to the building to escape firing from his countrymen.

“Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there’s another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies,” said the official. “This was against our rules of engagement.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing of the three men “an unbearable tragedy.” He said, “Even on this difficult evening, we will dress our wounds, learn the necessary lessons, and continue with our supreme effort to return all our hostages home safely.”

Defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would “remain resilient and continue operating, for the hostages, for our citizens, and our soldiers.”

“The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences,” the military said in a statement.

Mourning and anger across Israel

Thousands of Israeli protestors took to the streets in different cities expressing their anger and frustration over the death of the three hostages. Hundreds of protestors carrying photos of the three men gathered in downtown Tel Aviv.

A former Israeli hostage, Raz Ben Ami, told a crowd of hundreds that she had “warned” the Israeli government that military operations in Gaza were putting hostages at risk and had “unfortunately” been proven right.

Ben Ami, whose husband, Ohad Ben Ami, remains in captivity, told the crowd that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet should present a proposal to free the dozens of people still held by Hamas.

About 300 people turned out to mourn one of the dead hostages, Talalka, at his funeral in his hometown of Hura, in southern Israel. “We had so many hopes, expectations, that he would come back to us,” his cousin, Alaa Talalka told reporters during his funeral.

“We’re not going to start pointing fingers, who is guilty and who is not. It is just not the time,” Talalka added. “The families are thinking only of how to bring the hostages back alive. This is the time to ask for the war to end.”

The three men were among about 240 people taken captive during Hamas’s October 7 attacks in Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Several of the captured hostages returned home during a pause in hostilities which saw the release of captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, however, Netanyahu’s government is yet to secure the release of 129 hostages held in Gaza.

Diplomatic isolation

Israel faced growing diplomatic isolation in its war in Gaza as the United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and U.S. President Joe Biden said indiscriminate bombing of civilians is costing international support.

With intense fighting now being waged simultaneously in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops on Wednesday reported their worst combat losses for more than a month, including a colonel, the highest-ranking officer yet killed in the ground campaign.

On December 13, Israel reported 10 of its soldiers killed in the past 24 hours. In addition to a full colonel commanding a forward base, the dead included a lieutenant colonel commanding a regiment. It was the worst one-day loss since 15 were killed on October 31.