Israeli army says it mistakenly killed 3 hostages during battles in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The Israeli army on Friday announced that it "mistakenly" killed three Israeli hostages during battles in Gaza.

According to the Times of Israel news website, the Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari described the incident as "tragic" and said the army "bears responsibility" for the incident.

"This is an area where the (Israeli) soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers," he claimed.

He named two of the killed hostages, Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka, but did not identify the third one upon request by his family.

The Israeli army said it is opening an investigation to look into the circumstances of the event.

The Hamas group is yet to comment on the Israeli announcement.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army also said it had recovered the bodies of two hostages in a military operation that left two soldiers killed and others injured.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 18,800 Palestinians have since been killed and 51,000 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while over 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.