From left to right, hostages Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz, who were killed mistakenly by IDF troops in Gaza. Via X
Israeli troops mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages in the neighborhood of Shejaiya in the northern Gaza Strip as a threat and opened fire at them, killing them, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), announced late on December 15.
Hagari said the IDF bears full responsibility for the “tragic incident,” which took place early on in the day, “in an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”
The spokesman identified two of the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was abducted by fighters from the Hamas Movement from the settlement of Kfar Aza, and Samar Fouad Talalka, who was abducted from the settlement Nir Am. The third hostage was later named as Alon Shamriz, also from Kfar Aza.
Asked how the hostages were able to escape Hamas captivity, Hagari said the military believes that “the three fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive” as IDF troops closed in.
Shejaiya has long been seen as a key Hamas stronghold. Fierce clashes have been ongoing in the neighborhood. Earlier this week, nine Israeli troops, including senior officers, were ambushed and killed there.
In his statement, Hagari said that “after the shooting, during a scan and examination, an immediate suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead, and their bodies were quickly transferred for examination in Israel, where the hostages were identified.”
“This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened,” he said.
Hagari said the IDF was already investigating the incident, “which took place in a battle zone where the troops encountered many terrorists in recent days, and today, and fought hard battles,” he said.
“In some cases, suicide bombers were encountered, and also attacks in which terrorists tried to lure our forces and draw them into an ambush. Shortly after the tragic incident, another encounter with terrorists took place near the scene of the incident,” Hagari said.
He noted that the IDF was still working to “gather the facts and clarify the details of the incident.” Meanwhile, new protocols for identifying hostages were transferred to troops on the ground, “to do everything to prevent another tragic event like this.”
“The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the disaster and shares in the grief of the families. May their memory be blessed,” Hagari added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his sorrow at the incident but vowed to continue with the war on Gaza.
“Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the fall of three of our dear sons who were taken hostage,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This is an unbearable tragedy. The entire State of Israel mourns this evening. My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time.”
“Even on this difficult evening, we will dress our wounds, learn the necessary lessons and continue with our supreme effort to return all our hostages home safely,” the prime minister added.
War cabinet minister Benny Gantz wrote on X, previously known as Twitterm, that he was “heartbroken” over the tragic incident.
“My heart goes out to all of the families of the hostages, and also the soldiers who are in the depths of [Gaza] and carrying out a complex and important mission, the likes of which we’ve not seen since the establishment of the state,” he wrote. “Our responsibility is to win this war, and part of that victory will be bringing the hostages home. We’ll do everything we can to bring them back alive. Everything.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also expressed his sorrow, calling what happened in Gaza a “painful incident for every Israeli.”
“We must remain resilient and continue operating — for the hostages, for our citizens and for our soldiers. This evening I spoke with the IDF Chief of the General Staff about the details of this tragic incident in order to learn lessons immediately,” he said.
Some 132 hostages remain in Gaza out of the 240 taken during the October 7 surprise attack, which was planned and led by Hamas.
A temporary ceasefire from November 24 to December 1 saw the release of 105 civilian hostages, Israeli women and children and foreign nationals, held by Hamas. Four hostages were released prior to the temporary ceasefire, a hostage was released in late November and one was allegedly freed by IDF troops.
The bodies of eleve hostages have also been recovered, including the last three killed by Israeli troops. The IDF has so far confirmed the deaths of some 20 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
While this was the first time the IDF has admitted killing Israeli hostages, Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza reported similar accidents on several occasions before with most of the deaths caused by airstrikes. Last week, a hostage was killed during a rescue attempt by Israeli special forces deep in Gaza.
Hamas officials warned Israel more than once that the only way to free the hostages will be through talks that result in the release of Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza. However, the Israeli war cabinet continues to favor military solutions that are threatening the lives of the hostages.
