Jerusalem

Israeli soldiers failed to heed the cries for "help" of three hostages when they entered a building in Gaza just days before they were killed by the troops by mistake, revealed a military investigation which was published on Thursday (Dec 28).

As per the probe, the soldiers heard "hostages" shout in the Hebrew language on December 10, however, it was interpreted as a "terrorist deception attempt" being made by Hamas operatives to lure them into the building which was located in Gaza City's district of Shejaiya.

It added that the soldiers believed the building was rigged with explosives and they exited it and killed five Hamas militants trying to escape.

As per the investigation, the hostages then probably also escaped from the building and were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on December 15 after they were mistakenly identified as a threat.

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Two of the hostages were instantly killed by the soldiers. The third hostage escaped and soldiers were asked to hold fire so as to identify them, said the probe.

When the Israeli commanders heard cries of "help!" and "they're shooting at me", they asked the surviving hostage to move towards the soldiers. However, two soldiers "who did not hear the order" because of "noise", shot the hostage dead from a nearby tank.

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Signs of "SOS" and "help, three hostages" in building

All three hostages were shirtless and a white flag was being carried by one of them. On December 14, signs of "SOS" and "help, three hostages" were identified by an army drone on a building which was close to where the three hostages were shot.

The army "failed in its mission to rescue the hostages in this event," said army chief Herzi Halevi, in a statement published with the investigation report. The three fatalities "could have been prevented", he said.

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After the three hostages' killing was announced, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the news "broke my heart" and "broke the whole nation's heart".

The deaths of the hostages – who were identified as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer El-Talalqa – left entire Israel in a state of mourning.

The death of the three hostages also triggered protests in Tel Aviv where demonstrators asked the authorities to come up with a fresh plan for bringing home the rest of the 129 hostages, who are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)