Tragic mistake: Israeli soldiers accidentally kill 3 hostages in Gaza

A military investigation published on Thursday revealed that Israeli soldiers accidentally killed three hostages, confusing them with Hamas operatives in Gaza. The incident occurred in the Gaza City district of Shejaiya on December 10. The soldiers, interpreting shouts of "hostages" in Hebrew as a "terrorist deception attempt" by Hamas, left the building, believing it was rigged with explosives. Subsequently, they killed five Hamas operatives attempting to escape.

The hostages likely fled the building, and on December 15, Israeli soldiers mistakenly identified them as a threat and shot them. Two hostages were killed instantly, while the third fled. Israeli soldiers, ordered to hold fire for identification, heard cries of "help!" and "they're shooting at me." Despite commanders asking the surviving hostage to advance, two soldiers, allegedly unable to hear the order due to nearby tank noise, shot him dead. The three shirtless hostages were carrying a white flag, and signs of "SOS" and "help, three hostages" were identified by an army drone on December 14.

Army Chief Herzi Halevi acknowledged the army’s failure to rescue and protect the hostages and stated that the causalities could have been avoided. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sorrow over the killings, identifying the victims as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer El-Talalqa. The deaths prompted protests in Tel Aviv, with demonstrators urging authorities to devise a new plan to bring home the remaining 129 hostages in Gaza.

Hamas's attacks on Israel on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians. Israel, vowing to destroy Hamas and retrieve hostages, initiated a military offensive, leaving much of Gaza in ruins. The Hamas in Gaza reported a death toll of at least 21,320, mostly women and children.