(Shefayim) The brother of one of the three hostages killed by mistake by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip accused Sunday during his funeral those who “abandoned” him of having also “murdered” him.
“You did everything right,” said Ido Shamriz, speaking to his brother Alon, 26, at his funeral in Shefayim, a kibbutz north of Tel Aviv.
Kidnapped on October 7, he was shot dead with two other hostages, while they shouted for help in Hebrew, waved a white flag and were shirtless, for fear of being mistaken for Hamas men.
Since the announcement of this mistake on Friday in Gaza City, pressure from hostage relatives calling for the resumption of negotiations with Hamas has not weakened.
Hundreds of people marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening before camping in front of the Defense Ministry headquarters to demand the return of their loved ones.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he was “heartbroken”, but wanted to “maintain military pressure”, while Hamas made a truce the prerequisite for any agreement.
The army said it regretted a “tragic event” which occurred in an area of the Gaza Strip where soldiers faced “great pressure”, “intense fighting” and “numerous ambushes”. She nevertheless spoke of a “violation of the rules of engagement” and an investigation is underway.
“You survived 70 days of hell,” Alon’s mother Dikla said during her eulogy. “One more moment and you would have been in my arms,” she said.
Some 250 people were taken hostage during the unprecedented attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil, which left around 1,140 dead, mostly civilians, according to the authorities. To date, 129 hostages are still being held in Gaza.
In retaliation, Israel promised to “destroy” Hamas in power in Gaza and its strikes left 18,800 dead, mostly women, children and adolescents, according to the authorities of the Palestinian Islamist movement.