JERUSALEM — Three Israeli hostages who had been mistakenly shot by Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip had been waving a white flag and had been shirtless once they had been killed, navy officers mentioned Saturday, in Israel’s first such acknowledgement of harming any hostages in its conflict in opposition to Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned in a nationwide handle that the killings “broke my coronary heart, broke the whole nation’s coronary heart,” however he indicated no change in Israel’s intensive navy marketing campaign. “We’re as dedicated as ever to proceed till the tip, till we dismantle Hamas, till we return all our hostages,” he mentioned.
Anger over the mistaken killings is more likely to improve stress on the Israeli authorities to resume Qatar-mediated negotiations with Hamas over swapping extra of the remaining captives, which Israel says quantity 129, for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, reiterated that there shall be no additional hostage releases till the conflict ends and Israel accepts the militant group’s situations for an change. Netanyahu mentioned Israel would by no means conform to such calls for.
Israel’s account of how the three hostages had been killed additionally raised questions on its troopers’ conduct. Palestinians on a number of events have mentioned Israeli troopers opened fireplace as civilians tried to flee to security. Hamas has claimed different hostages had been beforehand killed by Israeli fireplace or airstrikes, with out presenting proof.
An Israeli navy official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to temporary reporters according to navy laws, mentioned the hostages seemingly had been deserted by their captors or had escaped. The troopers’ conduct was “in opposition to our guidelines of engagement,” the official mentioned, and was being investigated on the highest degree.
The hostages did every little thing they might to sign they weren’t a menace, “however this capturing was executed throughout preventing and beneath stress,” Herzi Halevi, chief of the navy’s basic workers, mentioned in an announcement.
Halevi added: “There could also be extra incidents during which hostages will escape or shall be deserted through the preventing. We now have the duty and the duty to get them out alive.”
The hostages, all of their 20s, had been killed Friday within the Gaza Metropolis space of Shijaiyah, the place troops are engaged in fierce preventing with Hamas. They’d been amongst greater than 240 individuals taken hostage throughout an unprecedented raid by Hamas into Israel on Oct. 7 during which round 1,200 individuals had been killed, largely civilians.
Talking at a rally in Tel Aviv, Rubi Chen, father of 19-year-old hostage Itay Chen, criticized the federal government for believing hostages may be retrieved via navy stress. “Put the one of the best supply on the desk to get the hostages dwelling alive,” he mentioned. “We do not need them again in baggage.”
The Israeli navy official mentioned the three hostages had emerged from a constructing near Israeli troopers’ positions. They waved a white flag and had been shirtless, probably making an attempt to sign they posed no menace.
Two had been killed instantly, and the third ran again into the constructing screaming for assist in Hebrew. The commander issued an order to stop fireplace, however one other burst of gunfire killed the third man, the official mentioned.
Israeli media gave a extra detailed account. The mass circulation every day Yediot Ahronot mentioned that in accordance with an investigation into the incident, troopers adopted the third man and shouted at him to come back out, and not less than one soldier shot him when he emerged from a staircase.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz mentioned the troopers who adopted the third hostage believed he was a Hamas member. Native media reported that troopers earlier noticed a close-by constructing marked “SOS” and “Assist! Three hostages” however feared it may be a lure.
Dahlia Scheindlin, an political analyst, mentioned it was unlikely the killings would massively alter public help for the conflict. Most Israelis nonetheless have a powerful sense of why it’s being fought and imagine Hamas must be defeated, she mentioned.
“They really feel like there’s no different alternative,” she mentioned.
The killings emphasised the risks hostages face in areas of house-to-house fight like Shijaiyah, the place 9 troopers had been killed this week in one of many conflict’s deadliest days for Israeli floor forces. The navy has mentioned Hamas has booby-trapped buildings and ambushed troops from a tunnel community it constructed beneath Gaza Metropolis.
On Saturday, the Hostages and Lacking Individuals Households Discussion board asserted that one other hostage, 27-year-old Inbar Hayman, had been killed in Gaza. The group gave no particulars.
Hamas launched over 100 hostages for Palestinian prisoners throughout a short cease-fire in November. Almost all freed on either side had been ladies and minors. Talks on additional swaps broke down.
Hamas seeks the return of all Palestinian prisoners. As of late November, Israel held practically 7,000 Palestinians accused or convicted of safety offenses, together with lots of rounded up for the reason that conflict started.
The conflict has flattened a lot of northern Gaza and pushed 85% of the territory’s inhabitants of two.3 million from their properties. Solely a trickle of support has been capable of enter Gaza. Israel has mentioned it could open a second entry level at Kerem Shalom to hurry up deliveries.
The offensive has killed greater than 18,700 Palestinians, the Well being Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza mentioned Thursday. It doesn’t differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.
It was the ministry’s final replace earlier than the newest communications blackout in Gaza. “Now 48 hours and counting. The incident is more likely to restrict reporting and visibility to occasions on the bottom,” mentioned Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, a gaggle monitoring web outages.
The conflict has been lethal for journalists. Mourners held funeral prayers for Samer Abu Daqqa, a Palestinian journalist working for broadcaster Al Jazeera who was killed Friday in an Israeli strike. The Committee to Defend Journalists mentioned the cameraman was the sixty fourth journalist to be killed within the battle: 57 Palestinians, 4 Israelis and three Lebanese.
In devastated Gaza Metropolis, resident Assad Abu Taha reported “violent bombardment” Saturday.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem asserted that two Christian ladies at a church compound in Gaza Metropolis had been killed by Israeli sniper fireplace and that seven different individuals had been wounded. The ladies had been recognized as a mom and daughter. Gaza has a small Christian neighborhood consisting of about 1,000 individuals. There was no instant Israeli remark.
America, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed unease over Israel’s failure to cut back civilian casualties, however the White Home continues to supply help with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing.
Israel and the U.S. stay far aside on who ought to run Gaza after the conflict. Washington desires to see a unified Palestinian authorities in Gaza and the West Financial institution as a precursor to eventual Palestinian statehood. A two-state answer to the Israeli-Palestinian battle enjoys broad worldwide help.
Netanyahu reiterated Saturday that Israel will retain safety in a demilitarized Gaza and {that a} Palestinian state would pose a menace to Israel. “I’m proud to have prevented the institution of a Palestinian state,” he mentioned.
U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin was touring to Israel to proceed discussions on a timetable for winding down the conflict’s intense fight part. However Netanyahu and navy leaders vowed to proceed till “full victory,” which the prime minister famous will take time.
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Jobain reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip and Magdy from Cairo. Related Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Iris Samuels in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Discover extra of AP’s protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.