New details emerge following the deaths of three hostages in the Gaza Strip who were killed by Israeli soldiers in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City in what was described as a “tragic accident.” The Times of Israel writes about the three hostages who managed to break free from Hamas after they were kidnapped on October 7, and states that, according to a Southern Command official, referring to the early stages of an internal investigation, It all started when a soldier saw three people coming out of a building dozens of meters away and coming towards him, all shirtless, one with a white flag and a stick with a white cloth.
The soldier, believing it was a Hamas trap, opened fire and shouted “terrorists” to alert the other soldiers, they say. According to the IDF Southern Command's investigation, the soldier killed two people in this way, while the third was injured and returned to the building he had left. Then came the order to stop the fire. The soldiers in the area had now heard “cries for help” in their own language, Hebrew, and shortly afterwards the man left the building again, but another soldier shot and killed him. All three bodies were brought to Israel, the newspaper said. According to the official, both soldiers acted without following protocols.