Israel’s army has said it accidentally shot three hostages dead after “mistakenly” identifying them as a threat.

“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed,” Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.

The victims include Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Talalka, who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am on Oct 7.

Asked how the hostages were able to escape Hamas, Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, said the military believes that “the three fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive”.

In his statement, Mr Hagari said “after the shooting, during a scan and examination, an immediate suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead, and their bodies were quickly transferred for examination in Israel, where the hostages were identified.”

“This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened,” he said.

The IDF said it began “reviewing the incident immediately”, adding: “This is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred. Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field.”

Mr Haim, 28, was a drummer for heavy metal band Peresphore and was last seen in a video he sent to his mother on the morning of Hamas’ terror attack which showed him at his front door amid the sound of gunfire. His house was later set on fire.

Mr Talalka, 22, was working in a hatchery, which required him to do shifts at the hen house over the weekends, when he was abducted.

He lived with his family in the Bedouin town of Hura in southern Israel.

‘Deep remorse’

The IDF and Israel notified the families of the victims, with the relatives of the third hostage asking for his name to be withheld.

The army said it “expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences.

“Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home.”

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