Israeli army announces death of three Israeli hostages killed “by mistake” by its soldiers

The Israeli army announced on Friday December 15 that Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip had killed three Israeli hostages “misidentified” like a “threat”. “As a result, the soldiers opened fire in their direction and they were killed”announced army spokesperson Daniel Hagari on television.

The families of the hostages have all been informed, the Israeli army added in a statement. The victims are Yotam Haïm and Samer al-Talalka, both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am during the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, said an army statement. The family of the third hostage killed did not want his identity made public. Their bodies were repatriated to Israel.

The army stresses that they were killed “in an active combat zone” in which his soldiers deliver “a battle has continued for several days” against Hamas fighters. In her press release, she apologized to the families. “The Israeli army expresses its deep remorse over this tragic incident and extends its deepest condolences to the families. Our national mission is to find the missing and return all hostages home.”she concludes.