The three Israeli hostages killed mistakenly by Israeli forces in Gaza screamed “Help!” in Hebrew while holding up a white flag, an initial inquiry into the incident found on Saturday, as per an Israeli military official.
The incident happened in the Shejaia neighborhood of Gaza City, an area of intense combat where Hamas terrorists operate in civilian attire and use deception tactics.
The hostages were fired upon against Israel’s rules of engagement, the official added.
The three, named Yotam Chaim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz, were all taken hostage during the October 7 massacre on southern Israel communities.
According to the inquiry, the hostages were standing near a building with the words “help” and “SOS” spray-painted on its exterior walls.
In addition, IDF also found a message saying “three hostage – help,” on the buildings two days before the deadly altercation, the inquiry found.
IDF battalion commander called to cease fire
The IDF immediately shot at the hostages, suspecting the building to be boobytrapped, with a soldier shouting “terrorists.”
Two were killed by the initial IDF fire, with one momentarily returning inside the building after being severely wounded. Minutes later, the third hostage appeared out of the building and was shot dead after he was suspected as a terrorist.
The battalion commander on the field reportedly called to cease fire at the third hostage, but three soldiers shot him dead.
This is a developing story.
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