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Israeli forces mistakenly identified the hostages as a threat during a battle in Shejaiye, a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza, Israel’s military said. A “suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased” during searches and checks in the area, the military said.
At least two of the hostages had been abducted from kibbutzes on Oct. 7, the military said.
Hostages Shot by Israel Had White Flag, Early Inquiry Finds
The Israeli military’s actions were contrary to its rules of engagement, a preliminary investigation found on Saturday.
According to reports during combat operations in Shejaiya, a dense neighborhood in the Gaza City area where has been taking place, the Israeli military said troops “mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat.” Troops fired at the three and they were killed, the Israel Defense Forces said.
On Saturday, the IDF told CBS News that the events occurred during a period of “intense combat,” with Hamas militants moving around in what the official described as civilian attire, including sneakers and jeans. There were “a lot of ambushes” and “a lot of deceptions,” the IDF official said.
The hostages emerged “tens of meters from one of our forces positions,” the IDF official said. The hostages were not wearing shirts and were waving a white flag on a stick, but two were killed immediately, the official said. The third ran away “crying for help in Hebrew.” Though the battalion commander issued a ceasefire order, there was “another burst of fire at” the third hostage, which killed him, the IDF official said.
It’s not clear if the hostages had been abandoned or if they had escaped their captors, the official said. The IDF official said that there was a building within meters of where the incident took place with “markings of SOS on it.” The Israeli military is investigating the building, the official said.
The Israeli military said Friday that the bodies have been returned to Israel and the identities of the three were confirmed.