Israel’s army chief, Gen. Hertzi Halevi, responded on Saturday after his forces killed three Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip a day earlier, saying the IDF “bears responsibility” for the incident and that it “will do everything to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in combat actions,” writes The Times of Israel.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi (in the center)Photo: IDF / UPI / Profimedia
  • “The incident in which IDF soldiers accidentally killed Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samar Talalq is a difficult and painful event.
  • Three hostages, who survived seventy days of hell, opposed the IDF soldiers and were killed by the fire of our troops.
  • IDF soldiers and their commanders in Gaza want nothing more than to save the hostages alive. I failed in this matter. We feel the deep pain of the families for the death of the hostages,” Halevi said in a video message.

Israel’s army chief said that the Israel Defense Forces and he as commander “are responsible for what happened” and “will do everything to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the continuation of hostilities.”

“A split-second decision can mean life or death,” Halevi said.

“The hostages opened fire under pressure”

Israel’s army chief tried to explain that the three hostages were shirtless, carrying a makeshift white flag and that his soldiers were shooting at them “under pressure”.

  • “They were shot in violation of the rules of open fire. It is forbidden to shoot at those who raise a white flag and demand to surrender. But this blow was executed during the battle and under pressure,” says Halevi.

According to the Israeli general, the Israel Defense Forces have completed a preliminary investigation into the incident and sent new protocols of rules to the ground forces.

  • “There may be situations when hostages escape or are abandoned during the battle, and we have the duty and responsibility to save them alive. (…) Our troops fought for seventy days in Gaza and on other fronts, courageously and decisively defending Israel.
  • We went into battle to destroy the enemy across the border and bring the hostages back home. Without decisive fighting, we will not be able to return the hostages and restore the security of Gaza’s border communities.
  • We must continue to fight the force without retreating from its goals,” the Israeli army commander added.