AOn Saturday evening, the streets of Tel Aviv were almost as they were before the war. Crowds of people marched through the center of the Israeli city and chants against the government could be heard. Tens of thousands gathered for the largest demonstration in months. Except that, like in the months from January to September, it wasn't about the government's judicial reform. The people's sadness and anger had another reason: the accidental killing of three hostages by the Israeli army.
Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer al-Talalka died under tragic circumstances on Friday. The 28, 25 and 26 year old men were kidnapped by Hamas into the Gaza Strip on October 7th. During the Israeli offensive, they appear to have managed to escape from captivity or were left alone by their captors.
In any case, according to the Israeli media's reconstruction of the incident, they appeared on a street in Shujaiya around ten o'clock in the morning. Heavy fighting has taken place in the Gaza district in recent days. The three men were obviously aware that the soldiers could mistake them for Hamas members – they were bare-chested and had made a white flag that they were carrying with them.
A hostage called for help in Hebrew
An Israeli soldier nevertheless identified them as enemy, albeit unarmed, combatants. The sniper fired at the three men as they moved toward the building where his unit had taken up position. He met two of them. The third managed to escape into a building. On the commander's orders, a raiding party entered the building. The soldiers there heard the escaped hostage calling for help in Hebrew. However, they believed this was a trap set up by Hamas to lure them into an ambush. They asked the man to come out. He showed up, obviously hesitant. The soldiers shot him at close range.
According to the army, the unit realized that they had made a mistake when they recovered the bodies. The military took responsibility for the “tragic incident”, but at the same time pointed out that it was an “active combat area” and that the soldiers had encountered numerous terrorists there. “Lessons” from the incident were immediately passed on to all units so that something like this does not happen again. Army officials said no hostages were expected in the area.
In Israel, news of the three men's deaths immediately sparked protests. Hundreds spontaneously gathered in front of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv. They renewed their demand that Israel do everything it can to ensure that the approximately 110 remaining hostages are released as quickly as possible. The “Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons” also moved its “headquarters,” which it had set up in October in front of the Tel Aviv Art Museum, to the nearby military headquarters on Saturday evening. More and more Israelis are being returned from Gaza “in coffins,” it said in a statement. “This is not a picture of victory.”
Netanyahu continues to rely on military pressure
Freed hostages and relatives of Israelis who were still kidnapped expressed massive criticism. “Ten days ago I warned the cabinet members that the fighting could harm the hostages,” said Raz Ben-Ami, who was released as part of the prisoner swap. “Unfortunately, I was right.” Military action alone would not save the lives of the hostages, said Ben-Ami, whose husband remains held in the Gaza Strip. Israel must enter into a new agreement with Hamas. The family forum said it was demanding the war cabinet come up with a proposal on how the hostages could be returned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later indirectly responded to the demand. “Military pressure is crucial for the release of the hostages, but also for a victory,” he reiterated at a press conference. This was the only way Israel achieved the return of 110 hostages, “and only through sustained military pressure will we achieve the release of all our hostages.”
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