“In fighting in Shuja’iya, the army wrongly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the soldiers opened fire in their direction and were killed,” it said. Shuja’iya, a suburb of Gaza city, is considered a stronghold of the extremist Palestinian organization Hamas.
According to Hagari, suspicions soon arose that the three dead may have been hostages. The bodies were therefore transferred to Israeli territory, after which their identity became more clear.
“This is a tragic incident, the military bears full responsibility,” Hagari said. He also extends his condolences to the relatives. The army has launched an investigation.