Israeli Military Issues Apology After Troops Accidentally Shoot Hostages in Gaza
The Israeli military has issued an apology after an incident in which troops accidentally shot three hostages in Gaza less than two weeks ago. The shooting took place in Shejaiya, an area where clashes between the military and militants had been occurring.
According to a conclusion issued by the Israeli military, the shooting “did not match the risk” faced by the troops at the time of the firefight. Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi stated, “The shooting of the hostages should not have been carried out, this shooting did not match the risk and the situation.”
The three men were shirtless and had emerged from a building with a white flag when they were encountered by the Israeli troops. Two hostages were shot and killed immediately, and the third ran back into the building screaming for help in Hebrew.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Israeli military has expressed regret and is taking steps to ensure that similar incidents are avoided in the future. A commander ordered troops to cease fire, but two soldiers who did not hear the order shot the third person. The bodies were later confirmed to be those of three Israelis, Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz.
In addition to the hostage incident, the Israeli military also issued an apology for a strike that killed dozens of people in the Maghazi refugee camp in the center of Gaza this week. The military admitted that the assault likely caused “unintended harm” to civilians and that steps have been taken to “mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians.”
The Israeli military emphasized that it “regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians and is acting to draw conclusions and learn lessons from this event.”
In other news, an Israeli military reservist who was killed in Gaza this week had successfully auditioned for a TV show that chooses Israel’s submission to the Eurovision Song Contest. Shaul Greenglick, 26, performed in Israeli army fatigues on “Israel’s Rising Star” while on furlough from the war. He had been moved through to the next round of the competition but was forced to drop out due to his military duties. His death has been met with sadness from those who knew him and followed his music career.