Israel’s military has expressed “deep remorse” after confirming that its troops shot dead three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
It said the three men had been mistakenly identified as a threat during combat operations in Shejaiya in Gaza.
The hostages were named as Yotam Haim, Samer El-Talalqa and Alon Shamriz. They were seized by Hamas when it attacked southern Israel on 7th October.
Israel’s army said the operation was being reviewed and immediate lessons had been learned about what it called “the tragic incident”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the death of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped. My heart goes out to the grieving families in their difficult time.”
Mr Netanyahu was already facing heavy political criticism in Israel over security lapses in the run up to the Hamas attacks and his handling of the hostages crisis.
Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Lucy Williamson in Jerusalem.
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