REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
- 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.
The killed hostages have been ID'd as Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and a third person whose family has asked that they not be publicly identified.
Both Haim and Talalka were taken hostage during the Palestinian militant group's October 7 terror attacks.
The Israeli military said it "expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences."
This marks the latest in a series of friendly fire incidents by Israel during its military operation in Gaza. The IDF previously said that 20 out of its 105 soldier deaths in Gaza died in friendly fire incidents — nearly 1 in 5 — according to the Times of Israel.