Israel mourns as the accidental killings of hostages reverberate.
The deaths of three hostages who Israel says forces accidentally shot and killed in Gaza reverberated across Israel early Saturday, as political leaders mourned them and protesters urged their government to prioritize the safe return of the remaining hostages over the country’s war targets.
The Israeli army announced the accidental killings on Friday, hours after he said it had been repaired the bodies of three other Israeli hostages in Gaza. The deaths underscore the ongoing risks to the more than 100 people Israel says remain in captivity after being abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have insisted that the current bombing and ground attacks in Gaza are the best way to force the release of the hostages, while the United States, the country’s closest ally, has insisted insisted that It move to a more focused phase of the war.
But the admission that Israeli soldiers wrongfully killed hostages is likely to strengthen critics within Israel who say the government is not doing enough to bring the prisoners home.
“This is a sad and painful incident for all of us,” Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army’s chief spokesman, said on Friday. He vowed “full transparency” as the military investigates how the tragedy unfolded, saying the Israeli military “bore responsibility for everything that happened.”
The military identified the three men killed Friday as Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz, both from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Talalka, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am, all in southern Israel near the Gaza border.
In one sign of public frustration with the government, hundreds of protesters marched and sang in Tel Aviv on Friday evening and Saturday morning, demanding an agreement with Hamas for the immediate return of the remaining hostages. Families of the hostages have staged protests to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure the prisoners’ release at “any cost.”
The hostages’ families were expected to discuss the tragedy at a meeting on Saturday at what is now known as Hostages Plaza in Tel Aviv, according to a spokeswoman for the group Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Benny Gantz, member of the Israeli war cabinet, expressed his condolences in a speech statement on social media, telling the families of the hostages that “the entire nation of Israel weeps with you.” Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader, who strongly criticized Mr Netanyahu, said in a social media post that his heart went out to the families.