2023-12-16 05:28:24
The Israeli military announced Friday that soldiers operating in the Gaza enclave killed three Israeli hostages “misidentified” as a “threat.” “During fighting in Shujaiya, northern Gaza, the army mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the soldiers opened fire in their direction and they were killed,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on television.
During searches and checks carried out in the area where the incident occurred, “suspicions arose about the identity of the deceased,” the IDF said. Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory – to the Shura camp – for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.
Combat zone
The IDF says the incident took place in an “active combat zone” where “fighting has taken place in recent days.” The army specifies that it “learned immediate lessons”, which were “transmitted to Israeli troops on the ground”. She “expresses her deep remorse over this incident”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he also shared of his “deep sadness”. But this tragedy “does not change the direction which is the war against Hamas and its elimination”, reacted on BFMTV Olivier Rafowicz, spokesperson for the Israeli army, who specified that an investigation had been opened.
The death of three Israeli hostages shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip is a “tragic mistake” and “heartbreaking” news, White House spokesperson John Kirby commented on Friday. “I don’t think it’s possible to draw broader conclusions from this particular event and what it says about (the Israeli armed forces’) ability to be more surgical and more precise” in their actions, he said. -he adds.
“Civilians who worked”
Among the victims are Yotam Haim, kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, Alon Shamriz, kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Gaza, and Samir Talalka, also kidnapped during the Hamas attacks, from Kibbutz Nir Am. The latter was a bedoin from the Negev, an Arabic-speaking people living in Israeli territory. This Friday, following the announcement of their accidental death, the hostage families’ forum said they “share the deep sorrow” of the loved ones of the missing.
Thursday afternoon, we met Fouad, the father of young Samir. He confided to us his dismay, the deep worry of never seeing his son again, captive in Gaza for more than two months. “My wife sleeps very badly. At night she wakes up and screams our son’s name. Our life is a nightmare,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Our relatives did nothing, they were civilians who were working. Our lives have been turned upside down, and not in a good way,” said Fouad.
Samir was 22 years old, the eldest of ten children and was due to get married next summer. Those close to him describe him as a calm person, appreciated by all, loving motorbikes, traveling and walks in the countryside. During the Hamas attacks on October 7, he was working as usual in the kibbutz chicken hatchery. That day, he called his relatives to warn them of the attack at 6:40 a.m., and remained on the line with him until the connection was cut at 7:20 a.m.
” That’s enough. There have been too many wars, too many deaths. Peace must be made. I don’t want future generations to experience what I experienced,” Fouad conjured on Thursday. His voice choked with emotion.
“Mom”
Yotam Haim was 28 years old when he was killed by the Israeli army this Friday. When war breaks out, the house where the young man is staying catches fire. As he opens the window to get some fresh air, Yotam is kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, according to the hostage families’ forum.
Red hair, blue eyes, the young man was passionate about music, and particularly metal. A drummer for two decades, he was part of the group Persephore, with which he was due to perform in Tel Aviv on October 7. Yotam was passionate about animals and Italian cuisine.
With his mother, whom he called “Mamo”, the young man had a close relationship. The affectionate nickname comes from a trip to Paris when he was a child. Yotam tries to appropriate the French “mama” which becomes “Mamo” by distortion, his mother Iris Haim recounted with emotion on December 5, during a video meeting organized by the families forum with journalists.
Alon, a “beautiful person”
Alon Shamriz is the last hostage to lose his life this Friday. Aged 26, Alon was kidnapped on October 7, while he was alone in his apartment. He simply had time to warn his family that his home had been broken into, and to remind them of his love for them. He was described by those close to him as a “beautiful person”, who “takes care of others before thinking of himself”. Passionate about IT, he was happy to begin his university studies in the said field.
We met his two brothers, Yonathan and Ido, on the occasion of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. “Every day, at every meal, for 63 days, there has been an empty chair. We miss him every second,” Ido sighed. Yonathan, for his part, imagined his brother’s return: “When Alon comes back, I want to be able to tell him that I did everything to get him free, that I went everywhere to get him back” , he confided to us.
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