The three Israeli hostages who were killed Friday by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in Gaza were shirtless and waving a white flag when they were shot, an IDF official said Saturday, calling the killings a “tragic, tragic event” and a violation of IDF rules of engagement.
The three men came out of a building “tens of meters from our soldiers’ position”, the official said. At least one of the soldiers “feels threatened and opens fire. Two are killed immediately. One is wounded and runs back inside. The soldiers hear a cry for help in Hebrew and the brigade commander issues a cease fire order but there is another burst of fire”, CNN reported.
The third hostage died later. It is not clear if the second burst of fire killed him, or which of the three it was.
More than one IDF soldier fired at the hostages, the official told CNN after briefing journalists.
“This was against our rules of engagement. I’ll repeat that: This was against our rules of engagement,” the official said.
The official said there is “intense combat” in the area where the hostages were killed, and “terrorists there are moving around in civilian attire. They are wearing sneakers and jeans. They are trying to pull us into traps”.
The hostages were named Friday as Yotam Haim, Samer Fouad Al-Talalka, and Alon Shamriz.
It’s possible they had escaped or been abandoned by their captors, the official said.
“Hundreds of meters from that location there was a building with markings of SOS on it, and we are still looking to see if there is a connection between that building and the hostages,” the official said.
There is an investigation taking place looking into the killing of the hostages, the official said.
About 250 captives were taken into Gaza by Palestinian groups during the October 7 attack on Southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. To date, 110 of the captives have been freed, mostly during a seven-day truce last month in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 18,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, most of them women and children. Thousands more are missing and trapped beneath the rubble.
