Three Israeli hostages shot dead by IDF forces who ignored orders not to shoot had used leftover food to write “SOS” and “Help, 3 hostages” on makeshift white flags as they tried to show that they were not posed a threat.
The Israeli army admitted last week that they accidentally killed Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26, Yotam Haim, 28, and Samer Fouad Talalka, 22, in Gaza after mistaking them for a “threat” during their ongoing ground invasion.
The men had escaped capture and spoke Hebrew as they walked toward the Israeli soldiers. They were also shirtless, in an apparent attempt to show they were not concealing any weapons or suicide vests.
The killings have sparked outrage among the men's families and the loved ones of some 120 people still held hostage in Gaza, prompting new protests and demands for Israel to bring them home “immediately.”
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari shared an update on the military investigation on Sunday, adding that the men had been hiding “in the building where the signs were located, at least some of the time.”
Three Israeli hostages shot dead by IDF forces who ignored orders not to shoot had used leftover food to write 'SOS' and 'Help, 3 hostages' on makeshift white flags
Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26, a computer engineering student, was one of three Israelis killed this week by his country's soldiers, sparking angry street demonstrations in Tel Aviv
Yotam Haim, who was killed by the IDF during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip
Samer Fouad Al-Talalka, 22, who was killed by the IDF during fighting near Gaza City
“The investigation into the incident continues. “The IDF has informed the families of the additional findings found so far and will continue to do so,” Hagari added.
Hagari said earlier that Israeli forces found the hostages and wrongly identified the men as a threat, adding that it was not clear whether they had dragged or abandoned their captors.
Military spokesman Richard Hecht said the deaths were under investigation and that what the soldiers did was a “violation of the rules of engagement.”
The IDF expressed its “deep regret over the tragic incident” and has since issued new protocols to help troops avoid a repeat of the embarrassing episode in future hostage encounters.
IDF spokesman Admiral Hagari said: 'This is a tragic incident, the IDF bears responsibility. This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”
The deaths occurred in the (northern) Gaza city area of Shijaiyah, where troops have been engaged in heavy fighting against Hamas in recent days.
The men's bodies were only examined because one of them had a “Western appearance,” media outlet Ynet reported, leading IDF forces to realize they were in fact hostages.
There was fear at the funeral of Shamriz, a computer engineering student whose family gathered Sunday to bury him.
“Those who abandoned you also killed you after you did everything right,” Shamriz's brother Ido said at the funeral, police said. Times of Israel.
Shamriz's mother Dikla said in her eulogy: 'You survived 70 days in hell. Just a little while and you would have been in my arms.
'We will live for you.'
The deaths of the three men sparked protests in Tel Aviv, as demonstrators demanded that authorities offer a new plan to bring home the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Shamriz, from kibbutz Kfar Aza, was buried in Shefayim, where his mother Dikla emotionally recounted how he “survived 70 days in hell” after being snatched on October 7.
The deaths of the three hostages sparked anger in Israel, with demonstrators marching last night to share their fear and anger. Pictured: Relatives and supporters of hostages held by Palestinian militants demonstrate outside the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv
The Israeli army said a soldier saw the hostages coming “tens of meters” from the Israeli forces in the Shejaiya area. The IDF previously said the three men had been wrongly identified as a threat.
'They are all shirtless and have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they are terrorists, they (troops) open fire, two are killed immediately,” the military official said.
The third hostage was injured and retreated to a nearby building where he shouted for help in Hebrew.
“Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there is another blast of fire towards the third figure and he too dies,” the official said. “This was against our rules,” he added.
Israeli media gave a more detailed account. The daily Yediot Ahronot reported that according to an investigation into the incident, a sniper identified the three hostages as suspects as they left the building, despite not being armed, and shot two of the three.
Soldiers followed the third as he ran into the building and hid, yelling at him to come out. At least one soldier shot him as he emerged from a staircase, Yediot Ahronot said.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz gave a similar report based on a preliminary investigation, saying that the soldiers who followed the third hostage into the building believed he was a Hamas member trying to trap them.
The three hostages were among about 250 people captured during Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
The Israeli military said its mission remains to “locate the missing and return all hostages home.”