3 Israeli hostages killed by IDF in Gaza

3 Israeli hostages, taken in by Hamas, were mistakenly killed by the Army of Defense for Israel (IDF) soldiers in Gaza.

As reported, the hostages identified as Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26, were killed in the Shejaiya area of Gaza on Friday.

Three Israeli hostages were shot dead “mistakenly” in Gaza by Israeli forces, had been holding up a white flag, according to an initial inquiry into the incident, a military official said on Saturday.

The incident happened in an area of intense combat where Hamas “operates in civilian attire and uses deception tactics”, the official said.

A soldier saw the hostages emerging tens of meters from Israeli forces in the area of Shejaiya, the official said.

“They’re all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they’re terrorists, they (forces) open fire, and two are killed immediately,” said the military official.

The third hostage was wounded and retreated into a nearby building where he called for help in Hebrew, the official said.

“Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there’s another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies,” said the official. “This was against our rules of engagement,” he added.

This particular incident has added pressure on Israeli authorities to reach a deal for the release of the more than 120 captives who remain in Gaza.

Israeli troops have been facing stiff resistance in the area near Gaza City.