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IDF ‘accidentally’ killed three Israeli hostages

News Desk

Dec 16

Israeli troops “mistakenly” killed three Israeli hostages in the course of combat with Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

The incident took place in Shejaiye, a densely populated area in northern Gaza.

Israeli forces “mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat,” the military said in a statement. “As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed.”

“During searches and checks in the area in which the incident occurred, suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a briefing on Friday.

“Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.”

Identified as Samer Talalka, Yotam Haim and Alon Shimriz, these captives were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.

The three are believed to have escaped their captors or had been “left behind” because of the fighting in the area, Hagari explained what the IDF so far believes.

Israeli soldiers are now being instructed to “exercise additional caution” when confrontating people in civilian clothes, another IDF spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus, said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deemed the incident as an “unbearable tragedy”, adding that Israel will “learn the lessons” of the incident.

“Along with all the people of Israel, I bow my head with deep sorrow and mourn the death of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped,” he said.

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