Three Israeli hostages were killed after the Israel Defense Forces mistook them for a “threat” during crossfire in Gaza Friday, leaving the military expressing “deep sorrow” for the deaths.
Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz were killed when they were accidentally “targeted” in Shejaiya and shot dead by the IDF.
It believes the three hostages “fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive.”
Haim and Shamriz were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 in Kfar Aza, while Talalka was taken from Nir Am, according to the Times of Israel.
Haim, 28, was a heavy metal drummer in the band Persephore. He was taken from his home at the start of the war and his house was set on fire by Hamas fighters.
Talalka, who was in his early 20s, was taken from a hatchery, where he and his father worked. The young man often worked early weekend shifts in the henhouse, according to the outlet.
Shamriz was a 26-year-old computer engineering student whose parents are from Iran, the Times of Israel reported.
During an “inspection” of the area after the shooting, a “suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead,” according to IDF.
“The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli abductees,” the force said in a tweet.
They were taken to a “deer center” in a Shura camp in Israel, where they were identified.
“The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families. The IDF will continue to act in all efforts to return the abductees home,” it said.
The area has been a “battle zone” for several days, including encounters with “suicide bombers” and “attacks in which terrorists tried to lure our forces and draw them into an ambush,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
“Shortly after the tragic incident, another encounter with terrorists took place near the scene of the incident,” he said.
Following the incident, Israel’s ground forces were given new protocols to help identify hostages to avoid more hostage deaths. It is not yet clear what sort of measures will be taken.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the situation “heartbreaking,” saying the tragedy was a “mistake.”
“I think the Israelis will certainly take a look at this, and I’m sure they will do the forensics to try to figure out what happened, how this happened. It’s certainly the way we would approach a situation like this, to want to know as many answers as we could,” he said in a statement to The Post.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed “deep sorrow” for the hostages, saying he and the people of Israel “mourn the fall of three of our dear sons.”
“This is an unbearable tragedy. The entire State of Israel mourns this evening. My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
“Even on this difficult evening, we will dress our wounds, learn the necessary lessons and continue with our supreme effort to return all our hostages home safely.”
Large crowds gathered outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday night to protest the hostage deaths and to call for the Israeli government to make an action plan to get the captives released, according to the Times of Israel.
“Their time is running out! Bring them home now! There is no victory until every last hostage is released!” the crowd chanted.
They held signs and wore shirts that read: “Bring them home,” while some had red paint on their hands.
Hostages’ families have grown angry in recent days after reports suggested the government is delaying initiating a hostage deal with Hamas because it believes continued war efforts will bring the terrorist organization down and bring them a deal, the Times of Israel said.
Netanyahu reportedly barred Mossad Chief David Barnea from going to Qatar to broker a deal earlier this week.
The deaths come after the US and Israel discussed scaling back the intense combat operations in the war, although both sides agreed the fighting would take several months to defeat Hamas.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the country’s postwar future.
It could include bringing back Palestinian security forces driven from their jobs in Gaza by Hamas in its 2007 takeover, according to a senior US official.
It is unclear how Gaza will be run in a post-war scenario.
Similar conversations are expected to take place when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Israel.
President Biden’s administration has expressed unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties. The White House continues to support the war-torn country with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing.
“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives,” Biden said Thursday. “Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.”
More than 18,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Thousands more are missing and others are feared dead.
More than 130 hostages still remain in Hamas’ hands.
