“The Army deeply regrets the tragic incident and conveys its deepest condolences to the families,” the statement added. “Our national task is to locate the missing people and bring all the hostages home.” The Israeli government has been under strong internal political pressure for weeks from relatives of those kidnapped, who have called for an end to military action.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deaths of the three hostages in the Gaza Strip as an “unbearable tragedy”. “The entire State of Israel is in mourning tonight. “My heart goes out to the bereaved families in their difficult time of grief,” the head of the Israeli government wrote on social media on Friday night. He expressed his condolences to the families.
Accidentally killed hostages
Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three hostages kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Friday. “The Army deeply regrets the tragic incident and conveys its deepest condolences to the families,” it said in a statement.
According to media reports, hundreds of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest. Footage broadcast on Israeli television showed large crowds gathering in the center of the coastal metropolis on Friday night and blocking a main road. They called on the government to work for the immediate release of the hostages.
Incident in “active combat area”
With the mediation of the Emirate of Qatar, several dozen hostages were released at the end of November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Among them were the wife and children of Tal Schoham, with dual Israeli-Austrian citizenship, who is apparently still under the control of the terrorists. After an agreement to extend the agreement failed, Israel resumed military action to destroy the terrorist organization Hamas.
debate
How does October 7th change the Middle East?
Two of the dead hostages were identified as Jotam Haim and Samer Talalka. The name of the third person killed was not released at the family's request. The incident occurred in an “active combat area,” the army said. The first lessons have already been learned from the incident and have been passed on to troops operating in the Gaza Strip.
The US government classified the deaths of the three hostages as “painful” and “tragic”. “Clearly this is not an outcome anyone wanted,” National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said Friday. He assumes the Israelis will look closely at the incident to find out how it happened. However, the case is not suitable for making a general judgment about whether the Israeli military is capable of acting precisely in the Gaza Strip, Kirby said.
Media: Cameraman killed
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera news channel reported that one of its cameramen was killed in the southern Gaza Strip. Video journalist Samer Abu Dakka was injured along with a colleague while reporting on the bombing of a school, the broadcaster announced on Friday night.
Israel continued its military offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday despite international calls for restraint. Clouds of smoke rose in the north of the area and in Khan Yunis, in the south, there were “dozens of people killed and injured”, according to the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops were involved in fighting with militants in two districts of Gaza City on Thursday night. There will be “even tougher battles” in the coming days.
more on the subject
Call on Israel to end settler violence
Call on Israel to end settler violence
The EU, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and Australia have previously called on Israel to end settler violence against Palestinians. Israel must “take concrete steps to stop the unprecedented violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank,” said a joint statement released in Paris on Friday. However, at the EU summit it was not possible to agree on a joint declaration on the conflict in the Middle East.
Due to demands from a group of countries to take a more critical stance towards Israel, a common position was not possible at Friday's EU summit in Brussels, it was said. Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Malta campaigned to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar criticized countries such as Austria and Germany for rejecting a ceasefire. These countries “believe this would prevent Israel from pursuing Hamas terrorists,” he said. “I cannot agree with this interpretation. It is possible to pursue terrorists without engaging in the kind of war and destruction that Israel is currently waging in Gaza.”
Explosive situation in the West Bank
Overshadowed by the war in Gaza, the situation in the West Bank remains explosive. As of yesterday, twelve people had been killed during a three-day anti-terrorism operation by the Israeli army in the city of Jenin, most of them, according to Israeli sources, armed fighters.
“It will no longer be as it was before this war”
Varadkar called for more pressure on the Israeli government. “His failure to grant the Palestinians their own state” is likely to affect relations between Israel and the EU in the future. “It won’t be like it was before this war.” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo agreed: “The killing of innocent civilians really has to stop now.”
The four countries considered close to the Palestinians had previously called for a “serious debate” on the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip in a joint letter. Countries close to Israel, such as Austria and Germany, came under pressure but apparently did not give in. The draft declaration for the EU summit included a space reserved for a part on the conflict in the Middle East. According to information from AFP, this part will now be omitted.