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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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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.