Conflicts & War

Israel takes responsibility for the death of three hostages amid pressure for a new truce

Jerusalem, Dec 16 (EFE).-The Israeli Government and Army took responsibility for the death of three Gaza hostages shot “mistakenly” by Israeli soldiers, amid growing pressure from the families of those kidnapped for a new truce that would allow them to be released after 71 days of war.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Richard Hecht confirmed on Saturday that the three hostages whom the Israeli army killed on Friday in an “intense combat in the area” in Shujaiya, on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, were “shirtless and carrying a stick with a white cloth on it.”

“They’re wearing civilian clothes, this is not a regular army (…) they’re wearing sneakers and jeans, there’s a lot of ambushes (…) they speak to us in Hebrew trying to fool us, the forces are under intense pressure,” said IDF spokesman Hecht in an online briefing.

The spokesman explained that the hostages appeared in the middle of the battle area, meters away from an Israeli soldier who identified them as suspicious figures.

“The soldier feels threatened and opens fire (…) two are killed immediately, one is injured and runs back into the building. They hear a cry of anger. There’s a cry for help in Hebrew. Immediately the battalion commander issued a cease fire order,” Hecht said.

Nonetheless, another round was fired at the third hostage, who was also killed. “This was against our rules of engagement,” Hecht added.

The spokesman highlighted that all of this information is preliminary and that an investigation is already underway regarding this “tragic accident.”

Hecht also reported that near the site, in the Shujaiya neighborhood (one of the strongholds of the Islamist group Hamas) a building was found a few hundred meters away with an SOS sign on the front.

“We’re still looking to see if there’s a connection between that building and the hostages. We’re going to scan these areas, the structures.”

On Friday, the Israeli army killed hostages Yotam Haim, a 28-year-old musician, and Alon Lulu Shamriz, a 26-year-old computer science student (both kidnapped during the Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza).

Samer Fouad al-Talalka, a 25-year-old Israeli Bedouin citizen from Hura, who was captured in the family restaurant near Kibbutz Nir Am where he worked, was also killed.

Hamas kidnapped more than 240 people on Israeli soil in the Oct. 7 raid. Currently, 129 hostages remain, with around 20 of them believed to be dead.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, there are more than 18,800 dead and 51,000 injured, most of them civilians.

Israeli authorities also announced on Friday the recovery of the bodies of three hostages taken alive by Hamas, French-Israeli civilian Elia Toledano, and soldiers Nik Beizer and Ron Sherman.

“Together with the entire nation of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the fall of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped, among them Yotam Chaim and Samer Fouad al-Talalka,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a condolence message to the families.

During a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Minister Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also highlighted the urgency of taking a stand against Hamas despite international calls for a ceasefire.

“Israeli citizens (…) in this war we must continue until victory, despite the international pressures and despite the unbearably heavy price that the war exacts from us in the fall of our dear sons and daughters,” declared Netanyahu.

EFE

sga/dgp

Related Articles

Back to top button