The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat during fighting in northern Gaza’s Shejaiya neighbourhood and opened fire at them, according to military spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Friday. The military took full responsibility for their deaths "in an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers".
"During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed...The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences. Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home," said the IDF on social media platform X.
The hostages were identified as Yotam Haim, abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Samar Fouad Talalka, abducted from Nir Am and Alon Shamriz from Kfar Aza. The incident happened in the Gaza neighbourhood which has seen some of the heaviest fighting between Israeli military and Hamas fighters in recent days, reported The Times of Israel.
Political leaders expressed shock but asserted that the Israeli military would implement the lessons learned from the tragic incident and continue with the offensive against Hamas. This comes amid rising pressure from families of captured hostages for a new ceasefire that can lead to a deal to free their loved ones.
What did Netanyahu say?
Reacting to the tragic development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an "unbearable tragedy" and expressed his condolences to the families of the three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by the IDF troops in Gaza.
"This is an unbearable tragedy and all of Israel is grieving their loss this evening. My heart goes out to the bereaved families at this difficult time. I strengthen our courageous soldiers engaged in the sacred mission of bringing home our hostages, while risking their lives in doing so," he said on X.
Meanwhile, Hagari said that the Israeli military believes that the hostages fled or were abandoned by the Hamas militants who held them captive as IDF forces approached the neighbourhood. “This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened,” he said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the incident heartbreaking and tragic. "I think the Israelis will certainly take a look at this, and I’m sure they will do the forensics and to try to figure out how this happened. That’s certainly the way we would approach a situation like this,” he added.
Who were the hostages?
The 28-year-old Haim was a drummer for the heavy metal band Persephore. He was last seen in a video he took on the morning of October 7, showing himself in the front door of his Kfar Aza home, before he was kidnapped by Hamas militants.
Talalka, 22, was working in the Kibbutz Nir Am hatchery on October 7 when the attack occurred. Shamriz, 26, a computer engineering student, was abducted from his Kibbutz Kfar Aza home on October 7.
Shejaiya in northern Gaza has long been seen as a key Hamas stronghold, home to some of its most elite forces and heaviest fortifications. It lies close to the area where nine Israeli soldiers, including two senior commanders, were killed in a deadly battle with militants.
“In some cases, suicide bombers were encountered, and also attacks in which terrorists tried to lure our forces and draw them into an ambush. Shortly after the tragic incident, another encounter with terrorists took place near the scene of the incident,” Hagari said on the battle in Shejaiya.
Hamas killed 1,200 people during their attack on October 7 and kidnapped around 240 people, triggering a war that has devastated Gaza and killed 19,000 Palestinians. Hamas still has over 120 hostages consisting of Israeli men and soldiers, after many were released during a temporary pause in fighting.
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