The three Israeli captives killed mistakenly by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza screamed “Help!” in Hebrew while holding up a white flag, an initial inquiry into the incident found on Saturday, as per an Israeli military official.
The incident happened in the Shejaia neighborhood of Gaza City, an area of intense combat where Hamas resistance forces have been engaging in heroic confrontations with occupation forces.
The hostages were fired upon against Israeli rules of engagement, the official added, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The three were all taken hostage during the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the heroic operation which saw Gaza-based Hamas resistance fighters launching massive attack on southern Israeli settlements.
According to the inquiry, the hostages were standing near a building with the words “help” and “SOS” spray-painted on its exterior walls.
In addition, Israeli occupation military also found a message saying “three hostage – help,” on the buildings two days before the deadly altercation, the inquiry found.
Two were killed by the initial Israeli fire, with one momentarily returning inside the building after being severely wounded. Minutes later, the third hostage appeared out of the building and was shot dead after he was suspected as a Hamas fighter.
The battalion commander on the field reportedly called to cease fire at the third hostage, but three soldiers shot him dead, the inquiry found.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)