“Israeli Troops Mistakenly Kill Three Hostages in Gaza Strip: Victims Waved White Flag and Were Shirtless”

Accident – death – Obituary News : Israel Confirms Mistaken Killing of Three Hostages in Gaza Strip

Jerusalem, Dec 16 (AP) – In a significant admission, Israeli military officials have confirmed 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 marks the first time Israel has acknowledged harming any hostages in its ongoing war against Hamas.

The revelation has sparked anger and is expected to increase pressure on the Israeli government to resume Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas for the release of more captives. Israel claims that there are still 129 hostages in Hamas captivity and insists that their release can only be achieved through military pressure.

However, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, stated that there would be no further release of hostages until the war ends and Israel accepts Hamas’ conditions for an exchange. Hamdan, a member of the militant group’s decision-making political bureau, added that he had no information on unconfirmed reports of a meeting between Israeli and Qatari officials regarding a possible exchange.

Israel’s account of how the three hostages died has raised questions about the conduct of its troops. Palestinians have previously reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians attempting to flee to safety. While Hamas has claimed that other hostages were killed by Israeli fire or airstrikes, they have not presented evidence to support these claims.

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that it was likely the hostages had been abandoned by their captors or had managed to escape. The official emphasized that the soldiers’ behavior was “against our rules of engagement” and that the incident is being investigated at the highest level.

The hostages, all in their 20s, were killed on Friday in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where Israeli troops are engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas militants. They were among more than 240 people taken hostage during an unprecedented raid by Hamas into Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians.

The plight of the hostages has dominated public discourse in Israel. At a Saturday night rally in Tel Aviv, Rubi Chen, the father of 19-year-old hostage Itay Chen, criticized the government for believing that hostages could be retrieved through military pressure. He urged the government to put the best offer on the table to secure the safe return of the hostages.

According to Israeli media reports, the three hostages emerged from a building close to Israeli soldiers’ positions, waving a white flag and without shirts, in an attempt to signal that they posed no threat. 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 shot and killed.

The incident has shed light on the dangers faced by hostages in areas of house-to-house combat like Shijaiyah, where nine Israeli soldiers were killed this week, making it one of the deadliest days for ground forces. The military has stated that Hamas has booby-trapped buildings and ambushed troops after emerging from an extensive tunnel network in Gaza City.

Hamas had previously released over 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a brief cease-fire in November. However, talks on further swaps broke down, with Hamas asserting that it will only free the remaining hostages if Israel ends the war and releases all Palestinian prisoners. As of late November, Israel held nearly 7,000 Palestinians accused or convicted of security offenses.

The offensive in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of more than 18,700 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. The war has also displaced 85% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million people, with most seeking shelter in the southern part of Gaza. Aid delivery to Gaza has been limited, but Israel has announced plans to open a second entry point to expedite aid deliveries.

In addition to the devastating human toll, the war has also claimed the lives of journalists. Samer Abu Daqqa, a Palestinian journalist working for broadcaster Al Jazeera, became the 64th journalist to be killed in the conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The casualties include 57 Palestinians, four Israelis, and three Lebanese.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed concern over the civilian casualties but continues to support Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is traveling to Israel to discuss a timetable for winding down the intense combat phase of the war.

Please note: This news article has been created using different words and sentences to provide additional details and depth. The content has been optimized for search engine optimization (SEO) and includes HTML headings. British English has been used throughout. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.).