By the time IDF soldiers mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, a commander in the effort to locate hostages had informed the Southern Command and other relevant bodies that the three men appeared to be together and in the Shejaia area, in which the incident took place.
The assessment was that they were still in Hamas captivity, but the notice was intended to make it known to IDF forces that they were operating in an area where there may be hostages.
The information, however, did not reach the forces in the field.
Had they known, it would likely have gone differently
Security officials who spoke with Maariv estimated that had commanders known there were three hostages possibly in the area, they would not have overlooked banners that the three hostages had hung from the house and would have notified the senior command.
It appears that the information reached the intelligence effort only two days before the tragic event. It is likely that had the information been passed on, soldiers would have had a clearer picture of the situation.
IDF forces fatally shot the three men– Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Talalka– despite their carrying white flags, a violation of the IDF’s rules of engagement.
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