The White House on Friday called the accidental killing of three hostages by Israeli troops in Gaza “heartbreaking” and “tragic.”
The captive Israelis kidnapped during the Hamas terror attack on October 7 were shot at in Shejaiya, a neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, after members of the Israel Defense Forces mistakenly viewed them as a “threat.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the deaths.
“I think the Israelis will definitely look at this and I'm sure they will do forensic investigations and try to figure out how… how this happened,” he said.
Two of the victims were named: Yotam Haim, 28, who was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Fouad Talalka, 22, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7.
John Kirby, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator, described the accidental killing of three hostages by Israeli troops in Gaza as “heartbreaking” and “tragic.”
Yotam Haim was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. On Friday, Israel Defense Forces announced that he was one of three hostages accidentally killed
The third hostage is not being named by the IDF at the request of her family.
During a briefing with reporters, Kirby was asked whether the killings reflected growing concerns about whether Israel is using appropriate force.
“I don't think we can necessarily make a full judgment about the certain specific circumstances here and what that says about the ability to be more surgical and precise,” Kirby said.
A day earlier, Biden himself said he wanted Israel to be more careful in preventing civilian deaths, and his national security adviser spoke with Israeli officials about shifting to a lower-intensity campaign.
“I want them to focus on how to save civilian lives,” Biden told reporters, as signs mounted that international support for Israel was waning. “We must not stop persecuting Hamas, but rather be more careful.”
Earlier Friday, the IDF expressed regret over the killings.
“During the battle in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat,” it said. “As a result, the troops fired on them and they were killed.”
Police expressed “deep regret over the tragic incident” and launched an immediate investigation.
Samer Fouad Al-Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am, was also killed by the IDF
The captive Israelis, who were kidnapped on October 7, were fired upon in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza after IDF members mistakenly viewed them as a “threat.”
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “This is a tragic incident, the IDF bears responsibility.” “In this area, the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”
The Israeli military said it would “immediately review the incident,” adding that “immediate lessons” had also been learned.
Police said their task remained “to locate the missing and return all hostages home.”
Yotam's mother Iris Haim has been desperately trying to bring her son home since he disappeared more than two months ago.
She spoke at a Missing Families and Hostages Forum press conference Tuesday and recalled the last conversation she had with her son.
The terrified mother described the moment her son was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from a safe room where he was hiding at 10.44am on October 7.
He told his mother that terrorists “shot at the house, the door and the security room and burned the house down.”
Their conversation began at 6:30 a.m. but became more hectic when her son discovered that it was not a rocket attack but a terrorist attack on his kibbutz.
A panicked Iris said her son, who was suffering from a number of mental and medical issues, was alone and “scared”. She tried calling the police and the army but couldn't get through.
Yotam Haim, 28, (right) pictured with his brother Tuval Haim, 31, (left). Yotam was killed by the IDF after being mistaken for a terrorist
Yotam Hami, 28, was hiding in a safe room in his kibbutz when he was kidnapped on October 7
Yotam was one of three Israeli hostages accidentally killed by the IDF
Yotam's parents lived in a nearby moshav and his father desperately wanted to have his son but couldn't because Hamas surrounded the area.
“We couldn’t help,” she cried. “We knew that as mothers and fathers we couldn’t help, we were so helpless.”
She called his mother “Mamou,” the endearing name her son began using after a mother-son trip to France, and began to cry as she remembered the last time they had spoken before had lost all communication.
“Mamou, I hope I survive this,” Yotam said to his mother. “I don't know if I'll survive, but I love you…please help…please…please…please send someone…I have no air…I can't breathe.”
A few weeks ago I spoke at another forum for those whose loved ones have been murdered or kidnapped by Hamas. Iris begged for his son to be returned. “He needs to come back to his family… to us,” she said.
According to The Times of Israel, on October 7, Samar was working at the hatchery at Kibbutz Nir Am, where he often worked weekend shifts and had to be there early in the morning.
On the day of the attacks, a local organizer, Wahid Ahoziil, said he tried to reach Samar, who worked with his father, but “he didn't respond.”
The IDF expressed “deep regret over the tragic incident” and launched an immediate investigation
“He’s a great guy,” Mr. Ahoziil said after the attacks. “He wants to earn an honest living.”
Samar was a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel. He was arrested along with two other members of the community.
Previously, the IDF said it had recovered three more bodies of hostages seized by Hamas during the deadly October 7 attacks.
The victims were identified as Elia Toledano, 28, Cpl. identified. Nik Beizer, 19, and Sgt. Ron Sherman, 19.
French-Israeli Toledano was among an estimated 240 people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
He had attended the Nova music festival with his girlfriend and fellow French-Israeli Mia Schem, who was released at the end of November under a ceasefire agreement.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna expressed deep sadness at Toledano's death.
“We share the grief of his family and loved ones.” “The release of all hostages is our priority,” she wrote on X.
According to the Israeli military, 132 of the hostages taken to Gaza are still in custody.
According to official figures, Hamas kidnapped around 250 hostages during its attack on Israel on October 7, in which 1,139 people were killed.
Israel's retaliatory war against the group has killed more than 18,700 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that the repatriation of all hostages is one of its main war goals.