Three Israeli hostages were shot and killed in Gaza after Israeli forces identified them as threats.
Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim and Samer Al-Talalka died on December 15.
Now the IDF commander-in-chief says the shooting should not have taken place. And the soldiers will not be prosecuted, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In a new report which Sky News taken note of, new details emerge about the shooting.
The first line states that one of the three men fled the scene after they were initially shot at.
“On December 15, 2023, during days of intense fighting in Shejaiya, an IDF soldier fired at three figures, identified as threats, hitting two of the hostages who were killed. The third figure fled,” the report said. At this point, commanders on the ground ordered the troops to hold fire, the report continues Sky News.
About 15 minutes after the shooting, a battalion commander heard cries for help in Hebrew and ordered his troops not to fire. And then he is said to have shouted “come towards us” in Hebrew.
Despite this, the man who came out of a building was shot and killed by two IDF soldiers who did not hear the order due to the sound of a nearby tank.
The report also mentions that the hostages were without shirts and that one was waving a white flag, but that they must have been in a place with limited visibility for the soldiers.
The IDF has also announced that the soldiers who accidentally shot the three hostages will not be prosecuted, according to Jerusalem Post.
Misinterpreted the cries for help
The report also explains why certain events did not arouse suspicion earlier. Among other things, it is about shouts in Hebrew and graffiti on the building where they sat – written in Hebrew.
According to the report, the IDF troops interpreted it as “attempted terrorist misdirection”.
The report further explains why the troops did not act on other signs of help nearby in the days before the shooting.
On December 10, a note saying “help” was found near a tunnel opening. Which the troops believed was an attempt by Hamas to lure them into a trap.
A battle the same day between the IDF’s Golani Brigade and Hamas fighters led to commanders hearing cries for help in Hebrew in a building, but this was again interpreted as a trap.
On the morning of December 14, the day before they were killed, signs reading “SOS” and “help 3 hostages” were identified by drone images on a building 200 meters away from where the hostages were shot.
“Blue barrels, which are usually found in rigged areas, were discovered near the building, which the forces encountered in the Shejaiya area, and therefore it was suspected to be a trap,” the report says, Sky News writes.
“Could have been avoided”
In response to the report, the IDF commander-in-chief said in a statement that the shooting of the hostages on December 15 should not have happened, the newspaper writes.
– The shooting at the hostage should not have happened, this shooting was not consistent with the risk and the situation, said Herzi Halevi.
– However, it was carried out under complex circumstances and in intense combat conditions under a long-term threat, he continued.
Halevi draws three conclusions from the shooting:
Halevi also emphasizes the importance of following standard procedures.
– They are necessary, and they are also intended to protect us, so that we do not kill our own forces. They set and influence fateful decisions, which occurred in this event.