Israeli military chief takes responsibility for hostages killed
They were shirtless and carrying white flags: and yet the Israeli armed forces accidentally kill three hostages in the Gaza Strip. The military chief takes responsibility and makes it clear that this must not happen again.
Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has taken responsibility for the accidental killing of three Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers. "The army and I as its commander are responsible for what happened and we will do everything we can to prevent such cases from happening again in the future of fighting," he said in a video published on X. He spoke of a "difficult and painful moment".
At the same time, Halevi made it clear that people with white flags who want to surrender must not be shot at. Halevi emphasized that the rules of engagement were violated when the hostages were killed. "The three hostages did everything so that we would recognize them as such - they had taken off their shirts so that we would see that they were not wearing explosive belts, and they were holding a white flag," Halevi admitted. He also pointed out that the soldiers were in an active combat zone. Terrorists were active there in civilian clothes and every decision could mean the difference between life and death in a fraction of a second.
Netanyahu: An "unbearable tragedy"
Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as an "unbearable tragedy". The pressure on him to agree to a new ceasefire for the exchange of hostages for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel is likely to increase. According to Israeli estimates, 112 people abducted from Israel are still being held in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is still not releasing the bodies of 20 people kidnapped on October 7, according to Netanyahu's office.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that the Gulf Emirate of Qatar is once again mediating between Israel and the Islamist Hamas. According to the US newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" and the news portal "Axios", this involves efforts to secure the release of further hostages. According to these reports, the head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Oslo to discuss the possible transfer of hostages and prisoners. They also discussed a renewed ceasefire.
The meeting has not yet been officially confirmed. However, talks on a new ceasefire in the Gaza war are continuing, according to Qatari sources. The Gulf emirate reaffirmed its ongoing diplomatic efforts to renew the humanitarian pause, according to a statement from the foreign ministry. Qatar maintains good relations with Hamas. At the end of November, Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire for the first time under the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the USA, which was briefly extended twice. During this time, Hamas released 105 hostages, including 14 German citizens, and Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners in return.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, expressed his sympathy for the accidental killing of the hostages in the Gaza Strip, calling it an "unbearable tragedy." Due to this incident, the pressure on Netanyahu to negotiate a new ceasefire for the exchange of hostages and Palestinians imprisoned in Israel is expected to intensify.
Reports suggest that Qatar, the Gulf Emirate, is again attempting to mediate between Israel and Hamas, aiming to secure the release of more hostages and facilitate a renewed ceasefire. There have been rumors of a meeting between the head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, which have yet to be officially confirmed.
The Israeli military chief, Herzi Halevi, has taken responsibility for the hostage killings, stating that they and their army are responsible for the incident's aftermath and will take measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Halevi also admitted that the rules of engagement were violated when the hostages were killed, suggesting that the soldiers acted under challenging conditions due to the presence of terrorists in civilian attire.
Source: www.ntv.de
