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Israeli Troops Mistakenly Kill Three Hostages During Fierce Gaza Fighting, Military Says
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 soldiers mistakenly killed three hostages being held in Gaza by the Hamas terror group during combat, according to a military spokesman.
“This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He called the incident a “tragic accident.”
The battle took place in the northern Gaza Strip village of Shejaiya, known as a Hamas stronghold.
Military officials have notified all affected families.
The IDF identified two of the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am. The third hostage was not named at the family’s request.
All three 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 240 hostages.
According to the IDF, Israeli troops mistakenly identified the hostages as a threat and opened fire at them, killing all three.
“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,” Hagari said in a statement. “This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened.”
He noted that shortly after the incident, Israeli forces encountered terrorists nearby, adding that Hamas has tried to lure the IDF into ambushes.
Israel has recently engaged in intense battles with Hamas terrorists, who often wear civilian clothing. Hagari said the military is working to “gather the facts and clarify the details of the incident.”
Asked how the three hostages were able to escape Hamas captivity, Hagari said the military believed they “fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive.”
Israel said it began reviewing the incident immediately after it happened.
“The IDF emphasizes that this is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred,” the military posted on X/Twitter. “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.”
More than 100 hostages still remain in Gaza after Hamas released dozens of women, children, and foreigners as part of a temporary ceasefire deal. Some of those in captivity have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military said it had recovered the bodies of three Israelis — a civilian and two soldiers — who had been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and held in Gaza.
The post Israeli Troops Mistakenly Kill Three Hostages During Fierce Gaza Fighting, Military Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
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
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”