Isreali military mistakenly kills 3 hostages in Gaza

The Israeli military says it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages during its ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

The army’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says Israeli troops found the hostages Friday and erroneously identified them as a threat.

He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned. The deaths occurred in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days.

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He said the army expressed “deep sorrow” and was investigating.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said in a statement on Telegram that it had identified two of the slain hostages as Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka. The identity of the third was not released publicly at the request of the family.

The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy said the U.S. and Israel were discussing a timetable for scaling back intense combat operations in the war against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months.

The war between Israel and Hamas started Oct. 7, after Hamas fighters launched surprise cross-border attacks in southern Israel.

Some 1,200 people died in the violence in Israel, according to officials there, and Hamas took around 240 people hostage.

In response, Israel declared war and launched a campaign — that has included airstrikes and a ground offensive — aiming to rid the territory of Hamas and its infrastructure.

Health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 18,700 Palestinians have died in the besieged territory since the start of the war.

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