Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by IDF in Gaza were holding white cloth, officials say

One Israeli hostage was waving a makeshift white flag and another called for help in Hebrew when they were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Gaza who “mistook them for militants”, a military official has said.

According to a preliminary investigation, three male hostages, all shirtless, appeared in Shejaiya in northern Gaza, holding a long stick with white fabric attached to it.

A soldier nearby opened fire – the military said, claiming the unnamed man mistook them for militants.

Two hostages were hit and the third, who was wounded, managed to escape to a nearby building where other troops heard him crying for help in Hebrew.

He was killed by a second soldier before a commander, concerned by the incident issued a ceasefire order.

The Israeli military official said that they believed that the hostages – who were named by the military as Samer Fuad El-Talalka, Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz –  had either been let go or had escaped.

Calling the killing of the three hostages  “horrific and tragic” the military official told reporters that what happened was against the Israeli military’s rules of engagement.

However rights groups have said it is a likely violation of international law.

Israeli rights group B’tselem wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that International Humanitarian Law prohibits the shooting of people who have surrendered and are carrying a white flag, “regardless [of] whether they’re combatants or not, regardless of their nationality and religion.”

Ariel Bernstein, an IDF veteran and member of Israeli rights group “Breaking the Silence”, said on X, that the claim that the shooting of the hostages represented a violation of the rules of engament was “an attempt by the command to place the blame on the soldier in the field, instead of standing behind the policy of opening fire in Gaza.”

Baronness Sayeeda Warsi said if the Israeli shot dead three hostages it was an indication of “what the Palestinians are suffering every day.”

“Israeli organisations like Breaking The Silence and others have been warning about IDF tactics for years. Trigger happy, pumped with hatred and out of control – the videos from Gaza, some filmed by IDF soldiers themselves, are public for all of us to see,” she added on X.

The Israeli military said an preliminary investigation was going on at the highest level, and the military’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had traveled to the south “to work on lessons learned from this.”

Pressure is mounting on the Israeli authorities from Israeli citizens to secure an immediate ceasefire deal amid concerns more hostages will die.

The families of the hostages in Gaza called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an agreement to secure the release of the rest of the captives saying “every second counts” for those left behind.

Tagit Tzin, the aunt of Dafna, 15 and Ela Elyakim, 9 who were freed from Gaza last month after more than 50 days in captivity, expressed mounting frustration with the Israeli government she said was “not listening” to the families but instead pushing ahead with military objectives. Dafna’s and Ela’s father, step mother and brother were killed by Hamas militants during their bloody raid on south Israel on 7 October.

“Only a ceasefire deal will bring the hostages out alive and not put our soldiers in danger like this,” she said from a square in Tel Aviv where they were holding protests.

“We want a ceasefire and for everybody to be released. It is the only way for them to be free alive,” she added.

She said her niece Dafna, 15 – who was eventually freed in the week-long truce brokered by Qatar – thought she would only return back to Israel “in a coffin” as the bombing was so intense, the buildings around the teenager were collapsing.

“There were people in Hamas’s tunnels with Dafna who were in critical medical condition. They must get out for urgent medical care now.

“Time has already run out for them.”

“We want the world’s leaders to pressure Qatar – or anyone who can help – to make this ceasefire deal happen, to bring them home. We need to get the world working on this, as we cannot do this by ourselves, we have to get them out.”

Inbal Zach, whose cousin Tal Shoham, 38 is still a captive in Gaza, re-iterated “every second counts” for the hostages who remain behind.

Tal’s wife Adi, 38, and their children Yahel, 3, and Naveh, 8, were released in the same deal which saw Dafna and Ela get to safety.

Tal, however, was being held separately and remains somewhere in Gaza, the family hopes.

“We have had no proof of life after he was taken, we hope he is alive,” Inbal said, clutching a poster of Tal’s face at a central square where relatives and supporters had gathered.

She said the families understood the killing of the three hostages in Shejaiya was a “mistake that can happen” .

“We hope it will not happen again. They must come home now.”

She said Yahel and Naveh say every day “we want dad back”.

“It was bittersweet when Adi and the children came home: you are laughing with one eye and crying with another. It’s not complete without Tal.”

“We are demanding the war cabinet talk to us,” said Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, 19 an Israeli soldier is being held captive in Gaza.

Speaking to crowds at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv he added: “The Israeli government needs to be active they need to put an offer on the table… Put the best offer on the table to get the hostages back alive.”