Israel Defense Forces unintentionally killed three of the hostages held in Gaza, the military’s spokesman admitted on Friday.
The killed hostages were identified by the IDF as Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka, both of whom were kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. The third abductee’s name was not revealed.
“During the fighting in Shejaiya, an IDF force mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said. “As a result the force fired at them and they were killed. During a scan and inspection of the area of the incident, a suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead. The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli abductees.”
Hagari said an investigation was launched “immediately.”
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This is the first time the IDF has admitted to killing any of the hostages. Hamas kidnapped roughly 240 people during the attack, while more than a hundred were released during a weeklong ceasefire in late November, though there are still more than a hundred in Hamas custody.
