Title: Israeli Hostages Mistakenly Killed by Soldiers in Gaza
Three Israeli hostages were mistakenly killed by soldiers in Gaza on Friday, where they had been using leftover food to write signs pleading for help, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The men had been staying at a building next to where they were shot “for some period of time”, said the IDF. The head of the IDF told troops that they are “absolutely not” permitted to shoot those surrendering, and that the military doesn’t shoot a person who raises their hands.
It is estimated that about 120 hostages are still in captivity in the Gaza Strip, held by Hamas and allied Palestinian groups. Israel is under increased pressure to make a deal to free more hostages.
The Israeli hostages, Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26, were killed in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday as Israeli troops faced stiff resistance.
Israeli officials admitted that killing the three men who were holding a white flag was a breach of “rules of engagement”.
Since the end of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas earlier this month, families of the hostages have urged the Israeli government to reach a new truce for at least some of the captives to be freed.
With no let-up in the fighting, the IDF published images of what it said was Hamas’s largest attack tunnel so far.
France’s Foreign Minister called for an “immediate and durable truce”, while Israeli authorities have come under growing international pressure, including from the country’s main ally, the US.
The UN has also warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip amid widespread shortages of basic supplies.