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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged on Friday that its soldiers had mistakenly killed three hostages who were being held by Hamas in Gaza City.

 The tragic event unfolded when the hostages, identified as Yotam Haim, 28; Samer Talalka, 22; and 26-year-old Alon Shamriz, emerged shirtless from a building just a few meters away from the Israeli troops.

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Accidentally killed three hostages

They were waving a stick with white cloth attempting to show a surrender.

A soldier opened fire, killing two hostages instantly, according to an IDF spokesperson.

The third hostage ran back into the building injured. And cried "help" in Hebrew. The battalion commander's order to cease firing, another burst of gunfire occurred, fatally injuring the third hostage.

The bodies of the three men were later transferred to Israeli territory for examination, leading to the grim realization that they were, in fact, Israeli hostages. The IDF issued a statement expressing deep remorse over the tragic incident and extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.

"During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them, and they were killed," the IDF statement explained. "Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home."

Identification

This devastating revelation came just hours after Israel's military announced the recovery of the bodies of two 19-year-old Israeli soldiers, Cpl. Nik Beizer and Sgt. Ron Sherman, who had been taken captive by Hamas.

The IDF expressed condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers and reiterated its commitment to locating the missing. And bringing all the hostages back home.

Cpl. Nik Beizer had commenced his military service on April 30 and was stationed near a Gaza border crossing as part of a unit coordinating the flow of goods into the Palestinian enclave. Tragically, he lost his life in an area where he was working to facilitate the lives of Gazans.

Sgt. Ron Sherman, on the other hand, sent a heartfelt message to his mother expressing love just as his base came under attack by Hamas on October 7. The recovery of his body brought a somber conclusion to the distressing situation.

The IDF also recovered the body of Elia Toledano. He was taken hostage taken by Hamas from the music festival in southern Israel. Toledano's body was recovered in Gaza. And the remains of all 4 were brought back to Israel.