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Accident – death – Obituary News : JERUSALEM — (AP) — In a shocking revelation, Israeli military officials have acknowledged that three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and were shirtless when they were killed. This admission marks the first time that Israel has acknowledged harming any hostages in its war against Hamas.
The mistaken killings have sparked widespread anger and are likely to increase pressure on the Israeli government to renew negotiations with Hamas over a possible exchange of captives. Israel currently holds 129 Palestinian prisoners and believes that the release of the hostages can only be achieved through military pressure.
However, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan has reiterated that there will be no further release of hostages until the war ends and Israel accepts Hamas’ conditions for an exchange. There have been unconfirmed reports of a meeting between Israeli and Qatari officials regarding a possible exchange, but Hamdan stated that he has no information on this matter.
The Israeli military’s account of how the hostages died has raised questions about the conduct of its troops. Palestinians have previously reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians trying to flee to safety. Hamas has also claimed that other hostages were killed by Israeli fire or airstrikes, although they have not presented evidence to support these claims.
An anonymous Israeli military official stated that it was likely that the hostages had been abandoned by their captors or had managed to escape. The official acknowledged that the soldiers’ behavior was “against our rules of engagement” and that an investigation was underway.
The hostages, all in their 20s, were killed on Friday in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah during fierce fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants. They had been among more than 240 people taken hostage by Hamas in an unprecedented raid into Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
The plight of the hostages has dominated public discourse in Israel, with many calling on the government to prioritize their safe return. Rubi Chen, father of 19-year-old hostage Itay Chen, criticized the government for relying on military pressure to retrieve the hostages and urged them to put the best offer on the table to secure their release.
According to Israeli media, the three hostages emerged from a building near Israeli soldiers’ positions, waving a white flag and shirtless. Two of them were killed immediately, while the third ran back into the building screaming for help in Hebrew. Despite an order to cease fire, the third man was also killed by gunfire.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the soldiers who followed the third hostage believed he was a Hamas member trying to trick them. Local media also mentioned that soldiers had seen a nearby building marked with “SOS” and “Help! Three hostages,” but were wary of it being a trap.
These killings highlight the dangers faced by hostages in areas of house-to-house combat like Shijaiyah, where nine soldiers were killed this week. The military has stated that Hamas has booby-trapped buildings and ambushed troops after emerging from their tunnel network.
The war has taken a heavy toll on both sides, with over 18,700 Palestinians killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but women and minors consistently make up around two-thirds of the casualties. The war has also claimed the lives of 64 journalists, including 57 Palestinians, four Israelis, and three Lebanese.
The conflict has left much of northern Gaza flattened and forced 85% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million people to flee their homes. Displaced people have sought shelter mainly in the south, but aid has been slow to enter Gaza. Israel has announced plans to open a second entry point at Kerem Shalom to expedite aid deliveries.
In another tragic incident, two Christian women were killed by Israeli sniper fire at a church compound in Gaza City, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Seven others were wounded in the incident. Gaza has a small Christian community of about 1,000 people.
The war shows no signs of abating, with ongoing violence reported in Gaza City and southern Gaza. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed concerns about civilian casualties but continues to provide support to Israel.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is traveling to Israel to discuss a timetable for winding down the combat phase of the war.
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Jobain reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Iris Samuels in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Find more of AP’s coverage at [insert website link].
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