Tragic error in tinderbox setting of Gaza

Dismay and despair in Israel over Friday’s “friendly fire” shooting by IDF soldiers of three of the civilian hostages held by Hamas is understandable. It is amplified by the heartbreaking circumstances in which the three men, Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 25, and Alon Lulu Shamriz, 26 – all seized in the Hamas terrorists’ October 7 pogrom that killed 1200 Jews – were misidentified. A senior IDF officer says the three had either managed to escape or been abandoned by their captors. When spotted by IDF soldiers in the Shejaiya district, a fierce battleground of Gaza City, they were “shirtless and waving an improvised white flag”, a sign they were surrendering. They were “misidentified” as terrorists, however.

After two were shot dead the third injured man cried “help” in Hebrew. Even that did not persuade the soldiers that the men were genuine. The third man too was fatally shot, in what leading Israeli newspaper editor David Horovitz described as a development of immense “darkness” for the Jewish state in its fight against existential forces of Iranian proxy terrorism. The relatives of 128 hostages in Hamas’s hands now carry the added fear that even escape might lead to the deaths of their loved ones. As former army commander and Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said, “the nation of Israel is crying”. Crucial lessons must be learned from the tragedy. But reaction to it must not get in the way of Israel’s battle to destroy Hamas and recover all the hostages.

History attests to the sad reality that in wars there are always losses to “friendly fire”. Precisely how Friday’s tragedy unfolded has yet to be established. But as Horovitz noted: “In a dangerous, complex war, some of the 120 IDF soldiers who have died in the ground operation have been killed by terrorists in civilian dress, suddenly producing deadly weapons.” Friday’s deaths occurred two days after “SOS” and, in Hebrew, “Help 3 hostages” messages were found spray-painted on to a nearby building. Amid a plethora of booby traps prepared for the IDF – including attempts to draw soldiers into a tunnel shaft using children’s toys, bags and recordings of children crying – the snipers may have believed the three men were leading them into an ambush.

More must be done to secure the hostages’ release. Weekend talks between Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman al-Thani to negotiate a new hostage release have raised hopes. The international community must do more to help. Hamas has learned from Iran’s terrorist state operating manual about the value of lawless, gangster-style hostage taking as part of its business plan. But even it should understand there is no likely end to the war and the suffering of Gaza’s people without the release of all hostages.