S.O.S. signs came from shot hostages
The hostages who were accidentally killed by Israeli soldiers did not only try to show their identity with a white flag. The army has now announced that cloth signs nearby even read "Help, three hostages".
Israel has revealed further details about the accidental shooting of three Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to the military, there were signs on the walls of a nearby building that read "S.O.S." and "Help, three hostages" in Hebrew. It distributed photos showing white fabric signs with red paint on them. They had been hung on a building about 200 meters away from the place where the hostages were accidentally shot.
The military had already stated on Saturday, citing initial investigations into the incident on Friday, that the three hostages shot by the Israeli military had been carrying a white flag. A soldier had seen the three men appear several tens of meters away. None of them were wearing shirts. The soldier nevertheless felt threatened and fired. He stated that they were terrorists and then several other soldiers opened fire on the hostages. Two were killed immediately. The third hostage, wounded, had sought shelter in a building and called for help in Hebrew. Although the commander had immediately ordered the soldiers to cease fire, they had continued to shoot at the hostage, who had then died.
"That was against our rules of engagement," said the military spokesman. Major General Herzi Halevi reiterated on Sunday that the shots fired at the people were wrong. "What if two people come out of Gaza with a white flag to surrender, do we shoot at them? Absolutely not," said the Chief of the General Staff. "Even those who fight us, we arrest them if they lay down their arms and raise their hands - we don't shoot them."
More than 100 hostages still in solitary confinement
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in its attack on Israel and abducted more than 240 people in the Gaza Strip. More than 100 of them are still there and are being held incommunicado despite Israeli demands for access by the Red Cross.
At the end of November, more than 100 women, children and young people were released by Hamas as part of an agreement. In return, Israel released Hamas prisoners from detention centers. Other hostages were declared dead by the Israeli authorities. According to Palestinian figures, around 19,000 people have been killed so far in Israel's counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip, which are reportedly aimed at destroying Hamas.
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Following the incident, Israel accused Hamas of using hostages as human shields during the war. The military revealed that a building nearby displayed signs in Hebrew, saying "Hostage taking" and urging help for "Three hostages."
Despite international condemnation and calls for a ceasefire, Hamas continued its hostage-taking tactics during the Israel war, with more than 100 individuals still being held in solitary confinement despite Israeli demands for Red Cross access.
Source: www.ntv.de
