Israel observed a day of mourning on Saturday for the three Gaza hostages killed in a tragic incident where troops mistakenly perceived them as a threat. The military expressed remorse as the incident triggered protests in Tel Aviv.
Operations in a neighborhood of Gaza City resulted in the shooting of Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer El-Talalqa, all in their twenties, as confirmed by the Israeli army.
The three individuals were part of about 240 people who were taken hostage during Hamas’s raids into Israel on October 7. These incursions also resulted in an estimated 1,200 fatalities.
‘During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed,’ Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
‘The IDF expresses deep sorrow regarding this disaster and shares in the grief of the families.’
Their bodies were transferred to Israel, and on examination were confirmed as being Haim, a 28-year-old heavy metal drummer, 25-year-old Bedouin man El-Talalqa and Shamriz, aged 26.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described their deaths as an “unbearable tragedy”.
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‘All of Israel is grieving their loss,’ he said, while the White House called the incident a ‘tragic mistake’.
On Friday, as information about the incident disseminated, a large assembly formed at Israel’s Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv, demanding that Netanyahu’s government intervene promptly to secure the freedom of 129 hostages held within Hamas’s jurisdiction.
Waving Israeli flags and displaying placards, the demonstrators made their fervent presence felt.
‘Every day, a hostage dies,’ read one message.
‘I am dying of fear,’ said Merav Svirsky, sister of Hamas-held hostage Itay Svirsky.
‘We demand a deal now.’
In November, a short-lived truce saw more than 100 hostages freed in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
That deal has since lapsed and fighting has resumed.
The already intense scrutiny of Israel’s tactics in Gaza is exacerbated by the tragic loss of the hostages’ lives.
Netanyahu, in response to the October assaults, has made a resolute promise to annihilate Hamas and secure the return of the hostages.
Netanyahu’s strategies have provoked intense criticism from neighboring Muslim states, sparking deep unease among allies in Europe, the United States, and beyond.
With Hamas authorities reporting a death toll of 18,800 due to the war, the White House, a significant source of military aid for Israel, is expressing heightened worry about the impact on civilian lives.
‘I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,’ said US President Joe Biden.