world news
Israeli hostages killed by IDF fire screamed ‘help,’ held white flag
The three Israeli hostages killed mistakenly by Israeli forces in Gaza screamed “Help!” in Hebrew while holding up a white flag, an initial inquiry into the incident found on Saturday, as per an Israeli military official.
The incident happened in an area of intense combat where Hamas terrorists operate in civilian attire and use deception tactics, the official said.
The hostages were fired upon against Israel’s rules of engagement, the official added.
The three, named Yotam Chaim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz, were all taken hostage during the October 7 massacre on southern Israel communities.According to the inquiry, the hostages were standing near a building with the words “help” and “SOS” spray-painted on its exterior walls. The IDF immediately shot at the hostages, suspecting the building to be boobytrapped.
Two were killed by the initial IDF fire, with one momentarily returning inside the building after being severely wounded. Minutes later, the third hostage appeared out of the building and was shot dead after he was suspected as a terrorist.
This is a developing story.