The IDF today (Thursday) presented to the families of the abductees Yotam Haim, Samer Tlalka and Alon who is briefing the investigation into their accidental deaths by our forces on Friday, December 15. The investigation reveals, among other things, that the abductees managed to escape their captors after they were killed by fighters of the Golani Patrol. The fighters heard the word "help" and thought it was misleading. Later, a combat helicopter attacked the building where the abductees were staying.
The abductees who were killed accidentally against the background of a sign they made, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
The sign found in the house where the three abductees killed by the IDF were staying, photo: IDF Spokesperson
After five days in which the abductees managed to survive in the field, they were shot by a force from the 17th Battalion, which mistakenly identified them as terrorists. At first, two of the abductees were shot, while the third was shot about fifteen minutes later, despite the fact that the battalion commander ordered the force to stop firing at him.
It is estimated that the three abductees were in tunnels in the area of Sejaiya. In the area, near the shaft, a note was found with the word "help," but the army does not know how to connect this with certainty to the abductees. At some point, the abductees were removed from the underground and transferred to a building in the area.
Aerial photograph of the Shejaiya area with the location of the sequence of events, photo: IDF Spokesperson
On December 10 Golani fighters clashed with terrorists holding abductees. During the incident, Golani Patrol fighters sneaked into one of the houses in the area and planned to enter it, since there was a house nearby where terrorists were suspected of being staying. Before entering, the soldiers released a dog to enter and scan the building before entering.
The dog entered the building, climbed the stairs and received a volley of shots. In the dog's camera that was analyzed retroactively, it can be seen that the dog goes up one floor in a building with two floors, then another step is visible - and the dog falls. This, in fact, was the initial contact with the terrorists. It is believed that it was the dog that caused the four terrorists who were at the scene to move away from the abductees.
The IDF can't say whether the abductees were locked in a room, or maybe they were hiding, but in analyzing the dog's camera, they can be heard shouting "Save abductees" and the words "Yotam" and "Alon." They are also heard saying, "We're on the stairs, next to the stairs."
The buildings from which the shooting took place on 15 December, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
It is important to note that not everything that the dog's camera hears is also heard by the fighters, since in the background there are many sounds of gunfire, fire and ringing. In addition, grenades are thrown by both sides and echoes of explosions can be heard in the area.
During the incident, at the bottom of the building, one of the fighters heard a shout with the words "abducted" and "help," thinking it was either a deception or an attempt to pull the terrorists. After the forces left the house, a combat helicopter was dispatched to the scene, assuming that there were more terrorists on the scene. He fired two missiles at the building where the abductees were staying on the top floor.
Despite the attack, the three abductees survived. Only a few days after the incident, on December 18, do the forces return to the building and find the dog recording.
Aerial photograph of the area where the shooting took place, photo: IDF Spokesperson
After the terrorists clashed with Golani fighters, apparently that evening, the abductees began walking in Sejaiya on a route the IDF calls a "heroic path." They fled, entered homes and managed to survive for several days until they were accidentally killed by Golani fighters.
The IDF believes that the abductees may have passed through several buildings. At some point, they reached the building where they hung the SOS sign. Military forces recognized the sign on December 14, and it is possible that a day or two earlier the abductees arrived at this building, lived there, and hung the sign, along with another sign: "3 abductees" and "Help."
The three abductees later moved to the building where they were killed, although they may have been at other points along the way. The house where the abductees were staying and the house where the fighters of BISLACH's 17th Battalion were staying, 38 meters apart, as well as a tree with thick foliage, which partially concealed it.
At one point, the three abductees left the building shirtless, with a white flag. Two of the abductees were closer to each other, the third slightly farther away. The IDF has intermittent photographs of the incident, which indicate that after leaving the building, the abductees stood there for 20 to 30 seconds. The person who identified the three men was a slingshot who saw them through the leaves and decided to open fire at them. He hit two of them, and the third kidnapped man fled back to the building.
Three abductees accidentally shot by IDF force in Sejaiya - killed // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
IDF forces activity in the Sajaiya neighborhood, photo: IDF Spokesperson
At that point, the battalion commander shouted, "Stop," trying to understand the incident. Another 15 minutes passed before the third kidnapper was shot. At this point, the forces heard shouts of "Help" in Hebrew, the battalion commander called for the kidnapper, "Come out in my direction," but apparently the forces did not realize that the battalion commander had stopped them, and one of the soldiers, Negvist, and another soldier shot him.
At the end of the incident, searches began in the area, and the forces identified Yotam, a shirtless redhead with tattoos, and realized that there was another incident here. The three bodies were evacuated from the scene, and later the magnitude of the disaster became clear – and the shooting of Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer Tlalqa.
Oketz unit in Sejaiya, photo: Yossi Zeliger
The IDF emphasizes that there were quite a few attempts at "pull attacks" in the area, and therefore the soldiers there were conscious that they were trying to mislead them. The IDF's investigation revealed that the command echelon had information about the presence of abductees in the Sajaiya area, and that actions were taken to prevent attacks on sites suspected of having abductees.
The IDF has also prepared special forces to intervene in the event that a force identifies a building with abductees or suspected abductees. The army also notes that some of the fighters have gaskets, and there was also the sound of a powered tank that prevented them from hearing everything.
The Chief of Staff spoke with the families of the abductees who were killed and clarified that there was no malice in killing the hostages, and that the fighters did what they saw fit in that incident, in accordance with the area and the threats at the site. At the same time, the IDF understands that there was a deviation from the open-fire regulations.
Herzi Halevy with fighters in Gaza, photo: IDF Spokesperson
The chief of staff noted that the shooting of the hostages should not have taken place, since it did not match the risk and the situation. The army notes that the shooting was carried out under very complex circumstances, in intense combat conditions, and under prolonged threat. Lt. Gen. Halevy instructed the forces to learn the lessons of the incident and spoke with the brigade commanders about the emphases arising from it, in order for them to convey the conclusions to the forces.
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