Three Israeli hostages held in Gaza were shot and killed by mistake by Israeli troops, spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday evening.
Addressing the press, Hagari said that Israel Defense Forces troops in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City spotted the three men from afar. Suspecting they were Hamas attackers, the IDF soldiers shot them. Afterward, the soldiers suspected that they were not Palestinian attackers and collected their bodies for inspection. The spokesperson named two of the three as 28-year-old Yotam Haim from kibbutz Kfar Aza and 24-year-old Samer Fuad al-Talalka from the Bedouin town of Houra, who was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Am. The family of the third hostage asked that his name not be revealed for the moment.
Hagari stated, "The IDF began investigating the incident immediately. This is a combat zone where there have been many clashes in recent days. Immediate lessons from the incident are now being passed on to all the fighting forces in the field. The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families."
Hagari added that it is not clear whether the three hostages had managed to escape Hamas or were abandoned by their captors because of the heavy fighting in the area.
