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(CNN) — Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza who had been misidentified as a threat, the Israel Defense Forces said.
“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a news briefing on Friday.
“During searches and checks in the area in which the incident occurred, a suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased,” Hagari added. “Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.”
The hostages have been identified as Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas on October 7; Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am on the same day; and another male hostage, whose family requested that his name not be published.
The IDF began reviewing the incident immediately, Hagari said.
Hagari said the IDF believes the three men either escaped their captors or had been “left behind” because of the fighting in the area.
Asked whether the three men put their hands up or shouted in Hebrew, Hagari said the military is still “reviewing the details” and promised “full transparency about all the details of this incident.”
Israeli forces have been battling Hamas militants in close-quarters combat in recent days in locations across Gaza, including in Shejaiya and Jabalya in the north, and further south in Khan Younis.
Hagari said the incident occurred “in an area where our troops have confronted many terrorists over the past few days, even today, and engaged in heavy fighting.” He said Israeli soldiers had recently faced attacks in which fighters “tried to mislead our forces and fire-trap them,” as well as “suicide terrorists” who did not carry weapons.
Shortly after the hostages were mistakenly shot, Hagari said, Israeli forces confronted a group of fighters nearby.
Israel is still gathering facts about the fatal shooting, Hagari said. “Lessons and relevant instructions concerning the identification of hostages in battle zones have been immediately communicated to all IDF forces across the whole Gaza Strip,” he said.
Jonathan Conricus, another IDF spokesman, said that Israeli soldiers are being told to “exercise additional caution” when encountering people in civilian clothes following the hostages’ accidental killing.
Conricus added that many of the combatants attacking IDF forces in Gaza, “have been dressed in civilian clothes.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the hostages’ deaths as an “unbearable tragedy” and said that the Israel will “learn the lessons” of the accident. “Along with all the people of Israel, I bow my head with deep sorrow and mourn the death of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped,” he said.
“The whole state of Israel is grieving this evening,” he continued. “My heart goes out to the families aching during their time of immense grief. I would like to send strength to our brave soldiers focusing on this sacred mission of returning our hostages, even with the price of sacrificing their own lives.”
Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel’s war cabinet, said his “heart is shattered” by news of the shooting in a statement on X.
“The pain accompanying the campaign is now even bigger due to this difficult incident,” he said.
