The three hostages who were mistakenly shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Gaza this week had created an SOS signal by smearing leftover food on a white piece of cloth in the lead-up to their deaths, the Israeli Defence Forces said Sunday.
“Following the tragic incident in which three Israeli hostages were accidentally shot by the IDF, searches were carried out in the building near the scene of the incident, where signs for help were written, apparently using leftover food,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement posted to X.
Photos that were attached to the post show a white piece of cloth with an SOS signal written out in red letters, hanging beneath a window on the second floor of the building. A second photo shows another white piece of fabric with the words “Help, three hostages” written with the same red substance as the SOS sign on the ground floor.
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“The investigation of the incident continues. The IDF has informed the families of the additional findings found so far, and will continue to do so,” the statement added.
Two of the hostages—Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shimriz, 26 —were kidnapped from Kfar Aza Kibbutz in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 22-year-old Samer Talalka was taken near Kibbutz Nir Am. All three men were killed in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday.
The incident has sparked mass protests across Israel this week, with demonstrators expressing outrage after reports that the men had been carrying white flags and yelled for help in Hebrew before they were shot by Israeli soldiers.
The IDF said Saturday that the men had been “mistakenly identified” as a threat.
“The IDF 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,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
