- The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they accidentally killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza during a military operation against Hamas.
- The hostages were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and were believed to have escaped from their captors.
- The IDF expressed regret and took full responsibility for the tragic incident.
- The death toll from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has reached over 19,000, with most of the casualties in Gaza.
New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, the IDF admitted that they made a grave mistake during the Israel-Hamas war and killed three of their hostages in Gaza. The IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said that the Israeli soldiers fired on the hostages by mistake, thinking they were Hamas terrorists.
Hagari said that the incident occurred in an area where the IDF had eliminated many Hamas militants, including suicide bombers. He identified two of the three hostages as Yotam Haim and Samar Talalka but did not disclose the name of the third one, citing the family’s request. He said that the three hostages were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, along with several other Israelis.
According to Hagari, the IDF believed that the three hostages had managed to escape from the Hamas captivity and were trying to reach the Israeli border. However, there was some confusion about their identity during a scan and investigation after the shooting. He said that the bodies of the hostages were immediately transferred to Israel for examination, where they were positively identified. “We all regret this tragic incident and the IDF takes full responsibility for it,” Hagar said.
The Israel-Hamas war, which started on October 7, has claimed the lives of more than 19,000 people so far, according to the latest reports. The majority of the deaths have occurred in Gaza, where Israel has launched a relentless aerial and ground assault to destroy Hamas’s infrastructure and rocket launchers. Hamas, on the other hand, has fired thousands of rockets at Israel, killing about 1,200 Israelis. The war has also caused widespread destruction and displacement on both sides, with no signs of a ceasefire.
