IDF: Killed hostages held white flag
The accidental killing of three Israeli hostages is causing horror in Israel. The Israeli military is now providing further details about the incident. The soldiers should not have opened fire at all.
The Israeli military has released further details about the mistaken killing of three hostages in Gaza on Friday. According to the BBC, an IDF official said that one of the soldiers had seen the hostages come out of a building without shirts and holding a stick with a white cloth. The soldier felt threatened and opened fire because he thought the men were terrorists, according to the IDF official.
Two hostages were killed immediately, one was injured and ran back into the building. Then the soldiers heard a cry for help in Hebrew, "and immediately the battalion commander issued a ceasefire order," the official continued. However, after the third injured hostage screamed for help, the soldiers opened fire again, whereupon this hostage also died.
"I'll say it very clearly. That was against our rules of engagement. I repeat, it was against our rules of engagement," said the military representative. The killings were "very tragic" and a preliminary investigation "at the highest level" was underway. Lessons have been learned and "all rules of engagement will be reissued to all forces".
In addition, a building marked "SOS" was located a few hundred meters from where the three hostages were mistakenly killed. "We are still investigating whether there is a connection between this building and the hostages," the official said. The IDF will search the area for further information about the incident. It is still unclear whether the hostages were left behind or were able to escape from Hamas.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv to protest against the actions of the Israeli army. Among them were relatives of hostages. The protesters demanded a swift new agreement for the release of the remaining hostages.
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The UN has called on Israel to exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions in Gaza following the incident. Despite this, Hamas has accused the Israeli military of deliberate targeting of civilians and has threatened retaliation.
Despite the ongoing investigation, the international community is urging both Israel and Hamas to prioritize the release of the remaining hostages and to avoid further loss of life in the Gaza Strip.
Source: www.ntv.de
