Preliminary investigation into the into an incident in which three Israeli hostages who managed to escape from Hamas captivity in Gaza were mistakenly identified as enemies and shot dead by IDF by IDF soldiers, confirms the troops did not follow army rules of engagement because the hostages were holding a white flag. This was reported by UNN with with reference to Haaretz.
Details
The Israeli army published new details of the accidental killing of three hostages during IDF military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the hostages were waving a stick wrapped in white cloth, which is usually considered a symbol that its holder wants to surrender.
A spokesperson for the IDF spokesperson said that the hostages were killed in an intense fighting zone where Hamas militants operate in civilian clothes and use deception tactics.
According to the the investigation, the soldier saw the hostages walking tens of meters away from Israeli forces in the Shejaiya neighborhood.
They are all shirtless and have a stick with a white cloth. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He says they are terrorists, they [the forces] open fire, two are killed immediately
The third hostage was wounded and retreated to a nearby building, where he called for help in Hebrew, the official said.
Immediately, the battalion commander ordered a ceasefire, but another round was fired at the third hostage and he was also killed... I must say quite clearly: this is against our rules of engagement
Addendum
Three of the killed hostages were kidnapped by hostages were kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 attack, which sparked a subsequent war between Israel and Hamas. According to Israeli authorities, more than 100 hostages remain in captivity.
The Forum of Families of of Hostages and Missing Persons, which represents the interests of hostage families, expressed condolences and honored the memory of the victims.
To recap
On Friday on the morning of December 15, during the fighting in northern Gaza , Israeli troops mistakenlyopened fire on three Israeli opened fire on and killed three Israeli hostages.
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