The Israeli army revealed today, Thursday, that its forces killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza on December 15th when they mistakenly believed that their calls for help were a ruse by fighters from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to lure them into an ambush. They concluded that the soldiers acted correctly based on their best assessment of the situation.
The Israeli army published its findings today, concluding that "there was no malicious intent in the incident; the soldiers executed the correct procedure according to their assessment at that moment."
The statement noted that Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi "emphasized the utmost importance of adhering to standard operational procedures." He added, "In cases where there is no direct threat and there is no clear identification of an enemy, there is a need for a moment of examination before opening fire, if the opportunity arises."
The investigation indicated that during days of intense fighting, there was no intelligence information indicating that the hostages were held in buildings where the forces were subjected to heavy gunfire. The army stated that footage showed the hostages had removed their shirts and that one of them was waving a white piece of cloth. They were identified as hostages only after examining their bodies.
The forces misinterpreted the hostages' calls for help and believed they were a trap set by the militants in an attempt to lure them into an ambush. Halevi stated, "The Israeli army failed in its mission to rescue the hostages in this incident." He added that "the entire leadership chain feels responsible for this difficult event, regrets the outcome, and shares the grief of the families of the three hostages."
