Jakarta –
Soldier Israel said his troops shot and killed three of his citizens who were hostages. They said they mistakenly identified the three people as threats.
“During fighting in Shejaiya (battlefield area in Gaza City), the IDF (army) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, troops fired at them and they were killed,” the military said in a statement, as reported by AFP News Agency , Saturday (16/12/2023).
“Immediate lessons from the incident have been learned, which were then passed on to all IDF troops in the field,” he added, expressing “deep regret for the tragic incident.”
The army identified the hostages as Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz, both taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza when Hamas attacked on October 7, and Samer El-Talalqa, who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am.
“This is an unbearable tragedy,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“The entire State of Israel is mourning tonight. My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time.”
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the military “bears responsibility for everything that happened”.
“We believe the three Israelis either escaped or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them hostage,” he said, adding: “We still don’t know the details.”
(aik/aik)
2023-12-15 22:03:33
#Israel #Shoots #Citizens #Hostages #Hamas
