The army expressed “deepest regret over the tragic incident.” This is being investigated and “immediate lessons” have been learned and transmitted to all Israeli units. “We have told our soldiers to exercise extra caution when confronted with people in civilian clothes,” Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told CNN.
Hostages held pieces of white cloth
In the afternoon, the Israeli military announced the first details of the accidental murder. The dead men emerged from a building several dozen meters away from the troops, a military official said. They were shirtless and one of them was holding a stick with a piece of white cloth in his hand. A soldier reportedly felt threatened and opened fire.
Two of the men were killed directly. A third man fled into the house. A commander ordered the fire to cease, but when the third man returned outside, shots were fired again. He was also killed. “I want to make it very clear that this action was against our rules of engagement,” said the military officer. According to the information, a distress call was also heard in Hebrew.
Attackers often wear “jeans and sneakers”
However, the military representative made it clear that the area was an active combat zone. Troops have already been lured into ambushes there. Furthermore, attackers often wear “jeans and sneakers”.
It is also being investigated whether there is a connection to a nearby house that contained the letters SOS. Troops in the Gaza Strip have been reminded of the rules of engagement to avoid such tragic incidents, he said. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. It remains unclear whether the men managed to escape their captors or whether they were deliberately left behind.
Bodies brought to Israel
According to the army, the bodies of the three hostages were taken to Israel. Israeli forces identified those accidentally killed as 26-year-old Alon Lulu Shamris and 28-year-old musician Jotam Haim, both kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Asa, and 25-year-old Bedouin Samer al-Talalka from Kibbutz Nir Am.
Protests in front of the Ministry of Defense
As news of the accidental murder of the three hostages spread, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on Friday night. Among them were relatives of the hostages. Protesters demanded a quick new deal to release the remaining hostages.
Portal/Violeta Santos Moura There were protests in Tel Aviv after the tragic incident was revealed
Israeli flags were waved in the crowd and posters with portraits of hostages were held up. “A hostage dies every day,” said one of the posters. “We are gathered here after a devastating night and I am scared to death,” said protester Merav Svirsky, whose brother was taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. “We demand there be a deal now.”
Israel: Demonstrations for the release of hostages
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Israel for the immediate release of hostages still held captive by Hamas. The Israeli military accidentally killed three Israeli hostages while fighting Hamas.
“WSJ”: Israel and Qatar talk about releasing hostages
Meanwhile, in Norway, representatives from Israel and Qatar want to restart negotiations on the release of hostages held by Hamas on Saturday. The “Wall Street Journal” reported this without providing any sources.
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.
US government: “painful” incident
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.
debate
How does October 7th change the Middle East?
Clarification on cameraman's death required
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.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) called on the Israeli military to investigate. “We consider this a serious blow to the already restricted press freedom in Gaza and call on the army to investigate and explain immediately,” said the association, which represents foreign journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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.
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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.