IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevy spoke for the first time about the tragic incident in which IDF fighters accidentally killed three Israeli hostages in the heart of Gaza. "The IDF, and I, as its commander, are responsible for what happened, and we will do everything to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the continuation of the fighting."
In a statement he provided while in the Southern Command, the Chief of Staff elaborated on the details of the unfortunate incident in which IDF fighters accidentally killed Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer Tlalka. "The incident is difficult and painful," the Chief of Staff said. "The three abductees, who survived seventy days of inferno, moved towards IDF soldiers, and were killed by our forces' fire. There is nothing that IDF soldiers and commanders in the Gaza Strip want more than to rescue hostages alive. We did not succeed in this case. We feel the deep sorrow of the families over the deaths of the abductees."
"The IDF, and I, as its commander, are responsible for what happened, and we will do everything to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the continuation of the fighting."
"During combat and under stressful conditions - but contrary to the open-fire regulations"
After taking full responsibility on behalf of the army and its fighters, the Chief of Staff taught credit as a possible bride to the fighters involved in the difficult incident. "I enter the head of the fighter in Sejaiya, after days of heavy fighting, encounters at close range, encounters with terrorists dressed in civilian clothes who arrive in various fraudulent ways. He must be alert and alert to any threat."
Yotam Haim, Samer Tlalka and Alon Shamriz. The three abductees killed accidentally by IDF fire, photo: None
"A split-second decision can cost life or death. I think that the three abductees did everything so that we would understand - they moved shirtless so that we would not suspect the IED on their bodies and held a white cloth so that we would understand. The abductees were shot in violation of the open-fire regulations. It is forbidden to shoot at anyone who raises a white flag and asks to surrender. But this shooting was carried out during combat and under stressful conditions."
Halevy noted that the IDF "completed a preliminary investigation of the incident quickly and immediately, one that will enable us to learn lessons during the fighting and pass them on to the combat forces on the ground. We updated the families on the difficult findings and published them transparently to the public. There may be other cases in which abductees escape or are abandoned during the fighting, and we have the duty and responsibility to rescue them alive. It is the fighting that brings the opportunities for the return of the hostages."
"Our fighters have been fighting for seventy days in Gaza and on the other fronts, bravely and with determination to defend their homes. In an instant, the complexity of our just war in Gaza became apparent. We went out to fight in order to dismantle the enemy across the border and bring the abductees home. Without determined fighting, we will not be able to return the abductees and we will not be able to return the communities safely. We must boldly continue the fighting, without looking away from its objectives."
Shouting "Help", raising a white cloth and shooting in violation of orders
The unfortunate incident took place in an area where there were no civilians, and where most of the people identified as civilians are terrorists trying to harm our forces. At the same time, in recent days the forces have encountered cases in which terrorists tried to trap them. According to a senior source, the IDF was not aware of such a scenario in which they could see abductees walking around. A few dozen meters separated the force from the 17th Battalion from the building where the abductees were staying.
According to the investigation of the incident, the three suspicious figures who were identified emerged from a building located a few dozen meters from the building where the force was located, with a white cloth and a stick. One of the soldiers sensed danger, shouted "terrorists" and fired at them in violation of open-fire regulations. The IDF's instruction is not to shoot at anyone who raises a white flag. The soldier hit two of the abductees, and then another abductee ran back to the building. At that point, shouts of "help" were heard in Hebrew.
It should be noted that two days before the tragedy, a few hundred meters from the incident, a building was found on which red spray slogans such as "Three abductees," "SOS," and "Help" were written. The connection to the incident in which the abductees were accidentally shot dead is being examined. The forces had already encountered such inscriptions on houses that turned out to be booby-trapped.
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