Three hostages accidentally killed by Israeli forces ‘held up a white flag’

Three hostages accidentally killed by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip were shirtless and holding a white flag, a military official said.

Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26, were shot dead by Israeli army troops who believed they were “terrorists” after escaping from Hamas captivity on Friday.

The military official said anonymously that a soldier saw them appear near IDF forces in Shejaiya, an area of ​​intense fighting where Hamas fighters operate in civilian clothes and use deception tactics.

“They are all shirtless and have a stick with a white cloth on it.” The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He explains that they are terrorists. They (Israeli forces) open fire. Two (hostages) will be killed immediately,” he continued.

The third hostage was injured and retreated to a nearby building, where she screamed for help in Hebrew, the official said.

“The battalion commander immediately orders a ceasefire, but again there is a burst of fire on the third figure and he also dies,” he added.

“That was against our rules.”

IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told the BBC that the killings were “a tragic, tragic, tragic event.”

Speaking to the Newshour programme, he said that “mistakes happen in these types of conflicts” and that the soldiers involved would not be punished.

“These are our hostages, these are our soldiers,” he said. “First of all, we will help these soldiers. You are not punished; They made a mistake, they made a mistake.”

Anger over the killings is likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to resume Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over the exchange of more Palestinian prisoners.

The story about the hostages’ deaths also raised questions about the behavior of Israeli ground forces. Palestinians have reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire as civilians tried to flee to safety.

Israeli media reported the incident in more detail.

Major daily Yediot Ahronot said on Saturday that an investigation showed that a sniper identified the three hostages as suspects as they left the building, even though they were unarmed, and shot two of the three.

Soldiers followed the third as he ran into the building and hid, yelling at him to come out. At least one soldier shot at him as he exited a flight of stairs, the newspaper reported.

Haaretz told a similar story, based on a preliminary investigation, saying that the soldiers who followed the third hostage into the building thought he was a Hamas member trying to trap them.

Israeli political and military leaders often say that freeing all hostages, along with destroying Hamas, is their main goal in the war.

But they argue that their release can only be achieved through military pressure on Hamas, a claim that has sharply divided Israeli public opinion.

Friday’s news sparked an overnight protest outside Israel’s defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, where the hostages’ families were expected to make a statement later on Saturday.

One father said families are confused every day about whether they will be the next to hear bad news.

“We are in a kind of Russian roulette,” Ruby Chen, whose son Itay is imprisoned in Gaza, told reporters as he held up an hourglass.

“The Israeli government must take control and bring back the hostages.”

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