Israel clears up devastating mistakes
SOS signs came from shot hostages
December 18, 2023, 7:50 a.m
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The hostages accidentally killed by Israeli soldiers did not just try to show their identity with a white flag. The army now says that fabric signs nearby even said “Help, three hostages.”
Israel has revealed more details about the accidental shooting of three Hamas hostages in the Gaza Strip. According to the military, there were signs on the walls of a building nearby that read “SOS” and “Help, three hostages” in Hebrew. It circulated photos showing white cloth signs with red inscriptions on them. They were hanging from a building about 200 meters away from where the hostages were accidentally shot.
Already on Saturday, the military, citing initial investigations into Friday’s incident, said that the three hostages shot by the Israeli military were carrying a white flag. A soldier saw the three men appear tens of meters away. They all had no shirts on. The soldier nevertheless felt threatened and fired. He said they were terrorists and then several other soldiers opened fire on the hostages. Two died immediately. The third hostage, wounded, sought shelter in a building and called for help in Hebrew. Although the commander immediately ordered the fire to be stopped, the hostage continued to be shot at, who then died.
“That was against our rules of engagement,” said the military spokesman. Major General Herzi Halevi reiterated on Sunday that the shots at the people were wrong. “What if two people come out of Gaza with a white flag to surrender, will we shoot them? Absolutely not,” said the Chief of the General Staff. “Even those who fight us, we arrest them when they put down their weapons and raise their hands – we don’t shoot them.”
More than 100 hostages still in solitary confinement
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in its attack on Israel and kidnapped more than 240 people into the Gaza Strip. More than 100 of them remain there and are being held in solitary confinement despite Israeli demands for Red Cross access.
At the end of November, more than 100 women, children and young people were released by Hamas as part of an agreement. In return, Israel released Hamas prisoners from detention centers. Other hostages were declared dead by Israeli authorities. According to Palestinian information, around 19,000 people have been killed so far in Israel’s counterattacks in the Gaza Strip, which are said to be intended to destroy Hamas.