ISRAELI forces say they have mistakenly shot and killed three hostages captured by Hamas after wrongly identifying them as terror threats.
The three hostages were reportedly trying to escape their captors when they were shot dead by the IDF soldiers.
TwitterOne of them was identified as Samar Fouad Talalka who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7[/caption]
Another hostage killed by the IDF was identified as Yotam HaimReuters
After the fatal shooting, the bodies of the dead Israeli hostages were examined at the Deer Centre in Shura camp.
One of them was identified as Samar Fouad Talalka, 25, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Am hatchery on October 7.
Samar was reportedly working on a farm field when the terrorists wounded him before taking him to Gaza.
Another one was identified as Yotam Haim, 28, who was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the same day.
He was last seen in a video he took on the morning of October 7, showing himself at the front door of his home, according to his mother Iris Haim.
The third hostage has not yet been publicly named, but the family has been informed.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families.
“The messages were delivered to their families by representatives of the IDF and the Israel Police.
“The IDF began investigating the incident immediately. This is a combat zone where there have been many incidents in recent days.
“Immediate lessons from the event are now being passed on to all the fighting forces in the field.
“Israeli forces will continue to act in all efforts to return the abductees home.”
Israeli Minister Benny Gantz offered condolences to the grieving families, writing on Friday night that he was “heartbroken upon hearing the news.
“Our troops are carrying out deeply complicated operations, the most important this country has known.
“The pain that follows this war, is now heavier than ever.”