Israeli soldiers mistook calls for help for Hamas trap
The hostages call for help in Hebrew, approach their supposed liberators with their upper bodies exposed and carrying a white flag - and are then shot dead by Israeli soldiers. How did this failure come about? The military has reconstructed the events.
Following the accidental killing of three hostages in the north of the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers two weeks ago, the military has published new findings on the incident. The soldier who initially killed two of the hostages only had a limited view of the hostages, the Israeli army announced. In addition, two soldiers had not heard the order to cease fire due to the noise of the tanks and later shot the third man.
According to the army, one soldier initially shot "at three figures identified as threats" and killed two of them. The third person then fled into a building in the Hamas stronghold of Shejaiya. After around 15 minutes, the Israeli commander in charge heard shouts for help in Hebrew and ordered the hostage to come out of the building and towards the soldiers. However, two soldiers had not heard the order to cease fire due to the noise of a tank nearby. According to the army, the soldiers therefore shot and killed the man.
According to the army, the three hostages were traveling without outer clothing to show that they were not wearing explosive belts. One of the men was waving a white flag. According to the new findings, which are based among other things on an analysis of aerial photographs, the soldier who killed two of them only had a limited view of the hostages from his position.
Cries for help and written cries for help from the three hostages in Hebrew had previously been mistaken by soldiers for an attempt by Hamas to deceive them, according to the military's investigation report. They suspected that they were being lured into a booby-trapped building. The soldiers involved had already experienced such attempts at deception before. The soldiers also attacked the building in which the three men were being held, as they suspected an ambush. Five terrorists were killed and the hostages escaped.
The army had failed in its mission to rescue hostages in the case of the three men who were mistakenly killed. According to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the attacks on them could have been prevented. However, he emphasized that there was no intent. The accidental killing of the hostages had caused great consternation and protests in Israel.
Protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
In the evening, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv against the Gaza war. They had responded to a call by the grassroots movement "Standing Together", which is committed to a dialog between Israelis and Palestinians. Among other things, the demonstrators demanded an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages being held there. As reported by the newspaper Haaretz, hundreds of young people from towns near the Gaza Strip also demonstrated in front of the parliament in Jerusalem for the release of the hostages. They had set off from Tel Aviv five days earlier to walk to the capital.
A total of 105 hostages were released a month ago as part of a ceasefire. According to Israeli information, almost 130 people are still being held in the coastal strip. People in Israel regularly protest against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, partly because they accuse it of not doing enough to release the hostages.
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Despite the published findings, Gaza Strip protests against Israel continue, with demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding an end to the conflict and the release of remaining hostages. The protests, led by movements like "Standing Together," express growing frustration over the situation and accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for its handling of the crisis.
Meanwhile, Hamas denounced the Israeli military's actions in the Gaza Strip, including the accidental killing of hostages, as part of the ongoing Israel war, and vowed to continue its resistance against Israeli occupation.
Source: www.ntv.de
