Hostages killed by mistake showed white flag

War in the Middle East - Hostages killed by mistake showed white flag

The Israeli military has released new details on the accidental killing of three hostages by Israeli soldiers. The men killed had come out of a building several dozen meters away from the troops, said a representative of the Israeli military. They were shirtless and one was holding a stick with a white piece of cloth in his hand.

One soldier reportedly felt threatened and opened fire. Two of the men were killed immediately. A third man fled back into the house. A commander ordered the firing to stop, but when the third man stepped back outside, he was shot again. This man was also killed. "I would like to make it very clear that this action was against our rules of engagement," said the military representative. According to reports, a cry for help was also heard in Hebrew.

Nevertheless, the military representative made it clear that the area was an active combat zone. Troops had already been lured into ambushes there. In addition, attackers are often seen wearing "jeans and sneakers". The investigation is also currently looking into whether there is a connection with a house nearby that had the letters SOS on it. The troops in the Gaza Strip have been reminded of the rules of engagement in order to avoid such tragic incidents, it said. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

It is still unclear whether the men were able to escape their kidnappers or were deliberately left behind. The tragic incident triggered spontaneous protests in Israel. The organizers accuse the government of not doing enough to free the hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military: bear the responsibility

"This is a sad and painful incident for all of us, and the army bears responsibility for everything that happened," said Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari. The three victims were abducted in the unprecedented massacre by Hamas terrorists and other groups in Israel on October 7, along with around 240 other people in the Gaza Strip. More than 1200 people were killed in the terrorist attack. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive at the end of October. According to the latest information from Hamas, around 18,700 people have been killed in attacks in the Gaza Strip to date.

Netanyahu: Learning lessons and moving on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the death of the three hostages at the hands of his own countrymen as an "unbearable tragedy". "The entire state of Israel is mourning tonight. My heart is with the grieving families in their difficult time of grief," Netanyahu wrote on social media. "Even on this difficult evening, we will tend to our wounds, learn the lessons and continue with the utmost effort to bring all our hostages home safely," Netanyahu said.

Protesters demand new hostage deal

While the general Israeli public continues to support the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, there are increasing doubts among family members of the hostages. At the spontaneous protests in Tel Aviv, it was said that a new hostage deal, such as the one struck at the end of November, would prevent incidents such as the death of three hostages at the hands of Israeli soldiers. "Their time is running out! Bring them home now," people shouted.

According to Israeli estimates, 112 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Hamas is not releasing the bodies of 20 abductees, Netanyahu's office announced. How they know which of the abductees are dead was not specified.

US government calls death of hostages tragic

Israel's war aims are the destruction of Hamas and the return of the remaining hostages. But while Israel's military was able to retrieve the bodies of several hostages from the Gaza Strip, it has so far only been able to rescue one living hostage, a soldier, according to the Wall Street Journal. The US government described the death of three hostages at the hands of soldiers as "heartbreaking" and "tragic".

"Obviously, this is not an outcome that anyone would have wanted," said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby. However, the case is not suitable for making a general judgment on whether the Israeli military is capable of taking precise action in the Gaza Strip, Kirby continued.

Following talks with the Israeli leadership, the US government had recently expressed the expectation that Israel would switch from a "high-intensity" military approach to "more targeted" military operations. However, Washington did not specify a timeframe for this.

Another journalist killed in fighting

According to Al-Jazeera, a cameraman from the Arab television station was also killed in an Israeli drone attack in Chan Junis in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to the European news agency association EANA, a cameraman from the Turkish news agency Anadolu Bei was also killed in air strikes by the Israeli military. According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 63 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Air force delivers aid to Egypt

A plane carrying medical supplies for patients from Gaza took off for Egypt on Saturday. The air force Airbus A400M took off at 8.28 a.m. from Wunstorf Air Base in Lower Saxony (Hanover region). The German government is using the special flight to transport relief supplies to Cairo, where they are needed to treat people from the Gaza Strip. According to the air force, 7.6 tons of freight on a total of nine pallets are on board, mainly ventilators and incubators for babies.

According to the German Press Agency, the aid delivery, which the air force is carrying out on behalf of the German Foreign Office, is worth around 1.4 million euros. This is in response to requests from the Egyptian government. In the coming week, further Bundeswehr flights are to take place in cooperation with the so-called EU airlift. The main aim is to deliver tents and other aid supplies for people in Gaza who have lost their homes.

New battles on the Israeli-Lebanese border

Fighting continues on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Israel's air defenses intercepted an enemy aircraft from Lebanon on Saturday morning, the military announced. Another aircraft had come down in an area in the north of the country. In response, targets in Lebanon were attacked.

Warning sirens had previously sounded in several Israeli towns. According to Israeli media reports, the flying objects were two drones loaded with explosives. It was initially unclear who the drones came from. The Lebanese Hezbollah militia only claimed to have attacked Israeli soldiers in the morning.

Association demands clarification on death of cameraman in Gaza

Following the death of a cameraman from the Al-Jazeera television station in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has called on the Israeli military to conduct an investigation. "We consider this to be a serious blow to the already restricted freedom of the press in Gaza and call on the army to carry out an immediate investigation and issue an explanation," said the association, which represents foreign journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories. According to the statement, the cameraman Samer Abu Dakka was the first FPA member to be killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. He was buried on Saturday.

According to Al-Jazeera, the 45-year-old father of four was killed in an Israeli drone attack in the south of the sealed-off coastal strip. Rescue workers were initially unable to reach him due to the fighting - according to the broadcaster, they were ultimately only able to recover his body.