The IDF has revealed that it had captured footage of an Israeli hostage calling for help after the terrorists holding him and two other men were killed, but the camera was not analyzed until soldiers mistakenly shot them dead days later.
Golani Brigade commandos encountered a group of Hamas terrorists who fired at them from a building on December 10, the Times of Israel reported, citing a military investigation into the hostages’ deaths.
During the shooting, a dog from the elite Oketz unit was sent to the building, where Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26, were detained.
Before being killed by soldiers, the terrorists shot the canine, but the GoPro camera it was carrying continued to work and recorded the voice of a hostage believed to be Shamriz, according to the outlet.
“Aid!” he shouted in Hebrew, adding that there were other hostages with him who were also not seen in the images.
The video of the downed dog was not monitored live by the troops, who left the animal in place while they attacked other targets, the Times of Israel reported.
According to the Israeli military, the three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly killed by the IDF had used food scraps to write signs asking for help. @IDFSpokesperson / X IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi highlighted the rules of engagement with soldiers after the tragic incident. @IDFSpokesperson /X
It was not until December 18 that the IDF searched the camera and discovered its alarming contents, according to the military investigation.
The Golani forces thought they heard “Save us!” and “hostages” during the shooting, but they believed the calls came from terrorists who were using them as a ruse.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi ordered an investigation into the images as part of the overall investigation into the mishap, Israel Hayom reported.
The families of the three men have been updated on the latest developments, shedding more light on the actions they took to alert the IDF to their presence as they attempted to avoid recapture over the next five days.
Alon Shamriz, 26, has been identified as the third Israeli victim accidentally killed by the IDF. Avi Lulu/Facebook Yotam Haim, 28, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7. AP
The hostages had used food scraps to write “SOS” and “Help, 3 hostages” on a white cloth that they hung on a building in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City.
“Based on the investigation of the incident in the field, it appears that the three abductees were in the building where the posters were located, at least part of the time,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari wrote in X.
The shirtless trio later waved a white flag as they approached Israeli soldiers, one of whom perceived them as a threat and opened fire against army regulations.
Samer Talalka, 22, was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am. Family photo
Two of the hostages died immediately while the third returned to the building after being wounded, authorities said.
When a cry for help was heard in Hebrew, the battalion commander ordered his troops to cease fire, but the wounded man was also shot dead as he left, a military officer said.
Haim and Shamriz were kidnapped from the Kfar Aza kibbutz during the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7. Talalka was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am.
Family and friends mourn at Alon Shamriz’s funeral. AFP via Getty Images Iris Haim is the mother of murdered hostage Yotam Haim. AP
As a result of the friendly fire tragedy, the IDF sent new protocols to soldiers in the event that more hostages managed to escape captivity.
The Post has contacted the IDF for comment.
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