Israeli troops kill 3 hostages by mistake while fighting Hamas

JERUSALEM - Three Israeli hostages killed mistakenly in Gaza by Israeli forces had been holding up a white flag, according to an initial inquiry into the incident, a military official said on Dec 16.

A soldier saw the hostages emerging tens of meters from Israeli forces in the area of Shejaiya on Dec 15, the official said.

"They are all without shirts, and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they are terrorists, they (forces) open fire, two are killed immediately," said the military official.

The third hostage was wounded and retreated into a nearby building, where he called for help in Hebrew, the official said.

"Immediately, the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there is another burst of fire towards the third figure, and he also dies," said the official. "This was against our rules of engagement." The military identified the three as Mr Yotam Haim and Mr Alon Shamriz, who had been taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct 7, and Mr Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am.

Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief spokesman for the Israeli military, had earlier expressed "deep sorrow".

"This is a sad and painful incident for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened," he said, referring to the Israel Defence Forces.