The Defense Forces Israel (IDF) opened fire on three Israeli hostages Gaza Strip, where they were mistaken for a threat. The bodies of the three civilians were flown back to Israel, where their identities were confirmed.

“During the fighting in Shejaiya (in northern Gaza), the IDF incorrectly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the soldiers shot at them and they died,” Armed Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference on Friday.

Israel assures that 20 of the 132 kidnapped in Gaza are dead

The victims are three men kidnapped on October 7 by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group operating from the Gaza Strip.

“Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the deaths of three of our beloved children who were kidnapped, including Yotam Haim and Samer Fouad Al-Talalka,” said Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel . .

The United States warns that it is not right for Israel to occupy the Gaza Strip in the long term

According to the IDF, the three men are believed to have escaped from their captors in Gaza. When they met the soldiers, they waved a white flag and shouted for help in Hebrew.

“One of the soldiers saw them appear. “They were shirtless and holding a stick with a white cloth,” but the soldier felt threatened and dismissed, a military official told reporters on Saturday.

“Two [de los rehenes] “They were killed instantly, another was injured and ran to the building,” added this source, who stated that the soldiers later “heard a cry for help in Hebrew.”

Currently, there are still 129 hostages in Gaza. (JO)