Israeli military says it has killed three Israeli hostages during ground operation in Gaza
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The Israeli military has admitted to mistakenly killing three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli troops found the trio on Friday and fired towards them after mistakenly identifying them as a threat, said the army’s chief spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and a third male hostage, whose family did not want to disclose his name, were killed in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days.
Rear Adm. Hagari said it was not clear if the trio had escaped their captors or been abandoned.
He said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed “deep remorse” and sent “heartfelt condolences” to their families.
He added the IDF ”immediately” began investigating the incident.
The trio’s bodies were taken for further examination to the ‘Hatzvi’ Center at the Shura Camp, where they were identified.
Mr Haim was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October, while Mr Talalka was taken by the militants from Kibbutz Nir Am on the same day.
The IDF said in a statement: “The IDF emphasizes that this is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred.
“Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field.”
It added: “Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home.”
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