An initial investigation into the murder of three Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip has shown that soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire on them violating existing instructions, an IDF spokesperson told Sputnik on Saturday.
The IDF said on Friday that its troops had mistakenly identified three hostages held by Palestinian armed group Hamas in the Gaza Strip as a threat and opened fire, killing all three, after the hostages left the building in the Shejaiya district, Gaza City, with one of them carrying a stick with white fabric that resembled a flag.
"Two hostages died at the incident site, and the third was injured and returned to the building that he had left. The soldiers heard screams in Hebrew, and the squad leader ordered them to cease fire. However, for some reason, the shooting continued, and the third hostage died. We already know that the soldiers in both cases fired in violation of the relevant instructions," the spokesperson said.
The Israeli troops have not yet obtained information on the reasons for such appearance of hostages in the area, the spokesperson said, adding that the hostages could flee or could be left by the Hamas fighters to use them "as bait" and get the Israeli military "trapped."
The IDF is conducting the probe into the matter and has provided the Israeli military with new instructions in case such situations occur again, the spokesperson also said.
"All military personnel, including commanders involved in this tragedy, will be interrogated, and corresponding measures will be taken. The commanders on the ground have already carried out the checks. The chief of the IDF general staff has also been fully informed about the incident," the spokesperson added.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip across the border, killing over 1,200 people and abducting some 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 18,700 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of the conflict, according to local authorities.