Israel says accidental shooting of hostages by troops not justified, preventable

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) concluded that troops who shot and accidentally killed three hostages in Gaza were not justified and that the killings could have been prevented. 

IDF officials released findings of the investigation on Thursday. The report says that the Israeli officials knew that the hostages taken by the militant group Hamas could be nearby, but they failed to rescue them.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, IDF chief of staff,  said the “shooting at the hostages should not have occurred” and it could have been prevented.

“This shooting did not match up to the risk and the situation,” Halevi said in a statement, according to The Hill. “However, it was carried out under complex circumstances, and in intense combat conditions under a prolonged threat.”

The incident happened while there was fighting going on in Shejaiya, when an IDF soldier opened fire towards three figures that were identified as threats.

Two of the hostages were hit and killed in the process and the third fled. 

Commanders were ordered to hold fire in order to identify the third figure, but two soldiers did not hear the order and opened fire and killed the third hostage.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson,  said Israel is in the process of implementing lessons learned from the tragedy.

“We are responsible for what happened," he said in a statement. "We presented the families with the investigation and all the findings that were available to us with transparency while striving for truth, even when it is very hard and painful."