Israel Shoots Its Own Hostages By Mistake
Israel-Gaza conflict: Israeli forces mistakenly kill hostages, raising concerns amid heightened military actions and international scrutiny.
You all are aware that the Israel - Gaza war is still going on since 7th October 2023. In a shocking incident, the Israel military killed three Israeli hostages mistaken for Hamas operatives in Gaza. Explaining what exactly happened, a senior Israel army officer said, “On 15th December morning, an Israeli soldier spotted three men exiting a building at Shejaya, a Hamas stronghold. The three were shirtless, and one of them carried a stick with a makeshift white flag. Fearing that it was a Hamas trap, the soldier opened fire and shouted, "terrorists!" Two of the three men were killed in the firing. The third was wounded and managed to flee back into the building. At this point, the commander asked the forces not to fire. Shouts in Hebrew -- apparently by the injured hostage -- were heard. Soon after, the man came out of the building and despite the no fire order, another soldier shot and killed him. The three were later identified as Israeli hostages - Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz who were kidnapped by Hamas operatives during the 7th October attacks. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a post on X, “The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences. Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field". As per new protocols, soldiers have been asked to keep in mind that hostages may have been abandoned or escaped. The soldiers should "pay attention to signs such as speaking in Hebrew, raising hands, and clothing". IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht said "This (Hamas) is not a regular army. This is a rogue terrorist Army. That tragic event happened due to the nature of this conflict." Reacting to the incident, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "It broke my heart. It broke the whole nation's heart. With all the deep sorrow, I want to clarify: the military pressure is necessary both for the return of the kidnapped and for achieving victory over our enemies." The news of the death of hostages has compounded the worries of the families of the other hostages.Family member of another hostage said, "We feel like we're in a Russian roulette game, who will be next in line to be told the death of their loved one." In another incident, famous Arab news network Al Jazeera’s cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa was killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike on Gaza. The network is assembling a legal file to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for what they are calling "the assassination" of its cameraman. Meanwhile, the United States of America confirmed that it will continue to provide arms to Israel in its campaign against Hamas despite its own decision to call for more humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the devastated Gaza Strip. Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow aid into Gaza for the first time since the beginning of the war. But it also increased the bombardment of the besieged enclave and said that military pressure was the only way to ensure hostages are freed.
