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Israel to Honor Three Hostages Mistakenly Killed by IDF During Fierce Gaza Fighting
Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Yossi Zeliger
Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced on Wednesday that the three hostages being held in Gaza by the Hamas terror group who were mistakenly killed by Israeli soldiers during combat in December would be honored in a ceremony.
“In view of the extraordinary circumstances of the event, the president decided to honor the determination, fortitude, and special bravery that the three demonstrated, and to award their families a unique certificate of appreciation in the name of the State of Israel,” read a statement from the President’s Office.
“The families and the security establishment were informed of his intention to award the certificates and that a ceremony would be held at the President’s Residence at a date to be determined later,” the statement continued.
Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samir Talalka were kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, when the Palestinian terror group invaded and rampaged across southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 hostages. They escaped captivity in December and approached Israeli forces, holding a white flag and screaming in Hebrew to help them.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli troops mistakenly identified the hostages as a threat and opened fire at them, killing all three.
“This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said at the time. He called the incident a “tragic accident.”
The battle took place in the northern Gaza Strip village of Shejaiya, known as a Hamas stronghold.
The incident shocked Israel, causing leaders of the security establishment to issue apologies and change tactics to ensure such a tragedy did not happen again.
Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam, had been active on Israeli television in the weeks leading up to her son’s death, speaking frequently about unity and victory during the war in Gaza. Upon hearing that members of the unit that killed her son were distraught, she recorded a video that went viral in Israel.
“I know that everything that happened is absolutely not your fault, and nobody’s fault except that of Hamas; may their name be wiped out and their memory erased from the earth,” she said in the video. “I want you to look after yourselves and to think all the time that you are doing the best thing in the world, the best thing that could happen, that could help us. Because all the people of Israel and all of us need you healthy.”
The parents of Shamriz had been petitioning the government to recognize the victims as fallen soldiers, hoping for him to be honored by the IDF. The matter is being petitioned to the High Court of Justice.
Shamriz’s father, Avi, commented on the latest announcement from Herzog: “The president said he recognized Alon’s heroism; he kept his word the whole way and we thank him for that. Our Alon was a hero, and I welcome the recognition of the president of the country who respected us and promised to recognize the heroism of the fallen. I hope that now the IDF will also recognize our struggle to recognize Alon; this is something that must be resolved. Our Alon led the other two captives with his professional knowledge from his military days as a warrior and fell as a hero.”
The post Israel to Honor Three Hostages Mistakenly Killed by IDF During Fierce Gaza Fighting first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
The Israeli army said on Saturday that a missile fired from Yemen towards Israeli territory had been “most likely successfully intercepted,” while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the launch.
Israel has threatened Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement – which has been attacking Israel in what it says is solidarity with Gaza – with a naval and air blockade if its attacks on Israel persist.
The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was responsible for Saturday’s attack, adding that it fired a missile towards the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones they have launched have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
The post Israel Says Missile Launched by Yemen’s Houthis ‘Most Likely’ Intercepted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Large crowds of mourners dressed in black lined streets in Iran’s capital Tehran as the country held a funeral on Saturday for top military commanders, nuclear scientists and some of the civilians killed during this month’s aerial war with Israel.
At least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among those mourned at the funeral, according to state media, including armed forces chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami, and Guards Aerospace Force chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Their coffins were driven into Tehran’s Azadi Square adorned with their photos and national flags, as crowds waved flags and some reached out to touch the caskets and throw rose petals onto them. State-run Press TV showed an image of ballistic missiles on display.
Mass prayers were later held in the square.
State TV said the funeral, dubbed the “procession of the Martyrs of Power,” was held for a total of 60 people killed in the war, including four women and four children.
In attendance were President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, who was seriously wounded during the conflict and is an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as Khamenei’s son Mojtaba.
“Today, Iranians, through heroic resistance against two regimes armed with nuclear weapons, protected their honor and dignity, and look to the future prouder, more dignified, and more resolute than ever,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who also attended the funeral, said in a Telegram post.
There was no immediate statement from Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. In past funerals, he led prayers over the coffins of senior commanders ahead of public ceremonies broadcast on state television.
Israel launched the air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders as well as civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said it aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having a nuclear weapons program. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Bagheri, Salami and Hajizadeh were killed on June 13, the first day of the war. Bagheri was being buried at the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran mid-afternoon on Saturday. Salami and Hajizadeh were due to be buried on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider bombing Iran again, while Khamenei, who has appeared in two pre-recorded video messages since the start of the war, has said Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking US military bases in the Middle East.
A senior Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel had delivered a “major blow” to Iran’s nuclear project. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that Israel and the US “failed to achieve their stated objectives” in the war.
According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed on the Iranian side in the war before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday. More than 4,700 were injured.
Activist news agency HRANA put the number of killed at 974, including 387 civilians.
Israel’s health ministry said 28 were killed in Israel and 3,238 injured.
The post Iran Holds Funeral for Commanders and Scientists Killed in War with Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival
Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.
One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.
This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.
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