Israel says its forces in the Gaza Strip mistakenly killed three hostages held by Hamas.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted on X, formerly Twitter, “During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed.”
“Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination where it was confirmed that they were 3 Israeli hostages and were identified,” it continued.
During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed. 1/1
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 15, 2023
The IDF noted the families of the hostages had been notified.
The post said the military “began reviewing the incident immediately” and “emphasizes that this is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred. Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field.”
“The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences. Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home,” it added.
Friday’s incident comes two months after Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage.
Earlier this month, Israel estimated there are 136 hostages left in Gaza after a deal led to the release of dozens held by Hamas.