Mistaken killing of hostages shocks Israel
During an operation in the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers shoot three hostages, mistaking them for Hamas terrorists. The mix-up causes horror in Israel. The army regrets the tragic incident, but does not want to let it distract it from its declared war aim.
Israel's armed forces have been instructed to exercise increased caution following the accidental killing of three hostages in the Gaza Strip. "We have told our soldiers to exercise extra caution when confronted with people in civilian clothes," Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told the US television station CNN. It is still unclear how the incident occurred.
In this context, the spokesman pointed out that many fighters of the Islamist Hamas fought against Israel's army in civilian clothes. "A sad event like this will not shake our resolve and will not distract us from our clear goal of destroying Hamas," emphasized Conricus.
The army announced on Friday evening that its own forces had mistakenly identified the three male hostages as a threat and shot at them during an operation in the Hamas stronghold of Shejaiya in the north of the cordoned-off coastal strip. It is still unclear how they came to be in the area of the fighting. It is being investigated whether they escaped from their kidnappers or were deliberately left behind.
The fighting was taking place in a civilian and therefore very challenging environment, said Conricus. Almost all of the enemy units that attacked the Israeli troops with anti-tank rifles were dressed in civilian clothes.
Israel mourns the death of hostages
The accidental killing of the hostages has caused deep shock in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as an "unbearable tragedy" and declared: "The entire State of Israel is mourning this evening."
The army expressed its "deepest regret over the tragic incident". It was being investigated and "immediate lessons" had been learned and communicated to all Israeli units. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari promised a "transparent investigation".
According to him, the soldiers had "inadvertently identified the three hostages as a threat". The soldiers then shot at the hostages "and they were killed". According to Hagari, the Israeli army suspects that the three hostages either escaped from Hamas or were released by their kidnappers. "We don't know the details yet," said the army spokesman.
According to the army, the bodies of the three hostages were taken to Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces identified those accidentally killed as 26-year-old Alon Lulu Shamris and 28-year-old heavy metal drummer Jotam Haim, who had both been kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Asa, and 25-year-old Bedouin Samer El-Talalka from Kibbutz Nir Am.
New hostage deal demanded
As the news of the accidental killing of the three hostages spread, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv that evening. Among them were relatives of the hostages. The protesters demanded a swift new agreement for the release of the remaining hostages. Israeli flags were waved in the crowd and posters with portraits of hostages were held up. "Every day a hostage dies" was written on one of the posters.
"We are gathered here after a devastating evening, and I am dying of fear," said protester Merav Svirsky, whose brother was taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. "We demand that there be an agreement now."
As part of a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas, around one hundred hostages were released over the course of a week at the end of November. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from the prisons. The agreement was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the USA.
Efforts for a second ceasefire
The news portal "Axios" reported on Friday evening that the director of the Israeli secret service Mossad, David Barnea, will meet with the Qatari head of government Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani in Europe this weekend. The meeting is said to be about a second ceasefire for the release of hostages. Axios did not provide details on the exact location of the meeting or the number of hostages that could be released.
Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, took around 250 people hostage in the Gaza Strip after its major attack on Israel on 7 October. Hamas fighters had infiltrated Israeli towns and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, more than 1130 people were killed.
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The Israeli government has been under pressure to negotiate a new hostage release deal following the accidental killing of three hostages in the Gaza Strip. This incident, which occurred during an operation against Hamas, has sparked outrage in Israel and increased scrutiny on the conduct of its armed forces in conflicts. Furthermore, the Gaza Strip has been a long-standing source of tension between Israel and Hamas, with hostage taking being a tragic but not uncommon occurrence in these conflicts.
Source: www.ntv.de
