A spokesperson for Israel Defense Forces said that the military mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat.
The mishap caused the troops to open fire and kill the hostages.
The military posted the incident on the social media platform X.
“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them, and the hostages were killed,” official statement from Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF made it clear that the incident took place in an active combat zone.
The Army bears responsibility for the incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences.
It added that all of its troops are now aware of the mistake to serve as a lesson in future combats.
IDF believes the three hostages either escaped their captors or had been left behind as a result of the heavy fighting in the area.
Before the incident, Israeli soldiers had faced attacks in which Hamas fighters tried to mislead them by using speakers playing crying sounds and dolls placed in children’s backpacks to lure them into an area full of explosives.
“The fact of the matter is Hamas…from our efforts to do so,” Major Keren Hajioff, IDF Spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the IDF together with the Israel Security Agency captured more than 70 armed terrorists at a hospital in Gaza.
They have been surrendered to field interrogators for further questioning.
The Israeli military recently placed a $400,000 bounty on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar even offered money for information on the whereabouts of other top Hamas officials.
