IDF Killed 3 Israeli Hostages While They Were Shirtless, Shouting 'Help' in Hebrew and Waving White Flag

Three hostages shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood Friday were shirtless, and one of them was carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag, the IDF said Saturday after an initial probe into the tragic incident.

Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz managed to escape Hamas captivity before they were mistakenly shot dead by troops on Friday morning at around 10 a.m.

According to a senior officer in the Southern Command, citing an initial probe, the incident began after a soldier from Bislamach Brigade’s 17th Battalion stationed in a building identified three suspicious figures exiting a building several dozen meters away.

All three were shirtless, with one of the figures carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag, according to the investigation.

The soldier, who believed the men moving toward him was an attempt by Hamas to lure IDF soldiers into a trap, immediately opened fire and shouted “terrorists!” to the other forces.

According to the probe, that soldier killed two of the men, while the third man, who was hit and wounded, fled back into the building from which he came.

At that stage, the commander of the battalion, who was also in the multi-story building where the soldier had fired from, went outside and called on the forces to stop shooting.

Meanwhile, sounds of someone — apparently the third hostage — shouting “Help” in Hebrew were heard by troops in the area.

Moments later, the third man came out of the building to which he had fled, and another soldier opened fire at him, killing him.

The battalion commander then realized that the appearance of the third man was unusual, and he was revealed to be an Israeli hostage. The three bodies were taken to Israel for identification.