Israeli Military: "Mistakenly Killed 3 Hostages, Mission Deemed a Failure"

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) concluded that the killing of three Israeli male hostages in their 20s by friendly fire in the Palestinian Gaza Strip was a 'mission failure.'

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 28th (local time), the Times of Israel reported this, citing the incident investigation report released that day.

According to the report, on the 15th, the IDF discovered three hostages in Shejaiya, Gaza Strip, and mistakenly perceived them as threats, opening fire. Two hostages died in the initial shooting, and the remaining one fled to a nearby building but was also confirmed dead from gunfire. After the two hostages died, Israeli commanders on site ordered a ceasefire, but due to the noise from nearby tanks, some soldiers did not hear the order and fired, resulting in the death of the remaining hostage.

At the time, none of the three hostages were wearing shirts and were reportedly waving white flags indicating surrender. The hostages shouted in Hebrew "Help" and "Hostage," but the IDF judged this to be a deception by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and shot them.

The IDF explained, "After the terrorists holding the hostages were killed, it is highly likely that the hostages fled outside the building," adding, "There was a lack of awareness among the troops on the ground regarding encounters with hostages."

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