Israeli troops mistakenly killed three hostages whereas preventing within the Gaza Strip, Israeli army officers mentioned, with the prisoners being wrongly recognized as potential threats after they apparently escaped from their Hamas captors.
The Israel Defense Forces expressed “deep sorrow” for the deaths, which got here Friday amid preventing in northern Gaza. The IDF offensive in Gaza, properly into its second month, is a response to Hamas‘ Oct. 7 terror assault that killed greater than 1,200 in Israel and resulted within the taking of greater than 240 hostages.
More than 100 of these hostages have been launched throughout a quick cease-fire late final month, however the remaining stay within the fingers of Hamas militants. Three of these hostages seem to have escaped captivity sooner or later lately, officers instructed Israeli media, they usually have been mistakenly recognized as threats to IDF forces throughout an operation within the Shejaiya neighborhood of the town of Gaza on Friday.
In a sequence of social media posts, an IDF spokesman, Adm. Daniel Hagari, mentioned the three hostages have been killed by Israeli gunfire. Adm. Hagari mentioned that the three hostages “fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive,” the Times of Israel reported, elevating questions on whether or not different prisoners might have both escaped or been left behind by Hamas fighters.
Israeli troopers rapidly realized a mistake had been made.
“During a scan and inspection of the area of the incident, a suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead. The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli abductees,” Adm. Hagari mentioned.
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One of the hostages was recognized as Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kfar Gaza by Hamas on Oct. 7. Another was recognized as Samer Talalka, kidnapped from Nir Am in the course of the Hamas assault. The third hostage has not been publicly recognized.
“The IDF began investigating the incident immediately. This is a combat zone where there have been many incidents in recent days. Immediate lessons from the event are now being passed on to all the fighting forces in the field,” Adm. Hagari mentioned on X. “The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families. The IDF will continue to act in all efforts to return the abductees home.”
The Israeli army marketing campaign has pushed many Hamas members — and presumably, the hostages they’re holding — out of northern Gaza and towards the southern a part of the Palestinian enclave, which is now additionally residence to tons of of hundreds of Palestinian refugees who fled the preventing.
About 100 hostages, principally ladies and kids, have been launched throughout a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas late final month. In change, Israel quickly halted hostilities in Gaza and likewise launched about 240 Palestinian prisoners from its personal jails.
That cease-fire lapsed on Dec. 1, and IDF forces rapidly resumed their counteroffensive.
