Israel says it thought 3 hostages were threats and killed them, the latest friendly fire incident in Gaza

• The IDF says it accidentally killed three Israeli hostages.
• Israeli forces thought the hostages were threats and opened fire, the IDF says.
• Nearly 1 in 5 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza died by friendly fire, the IDF previously said.

Israel's military said on Friday that it accidentally killed three Israelis who were taken hostage by Hamas.

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement posted to Telegram that Israeli troops "mistakenly identified" three Israeli hostages as threats during combat in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, and "as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed."

The IDF said the bodies were taken to Israeli territory for examination, where authorities confirmed that they were, in fact, three Israeli hostages.