Netanyahu Faces Protests After Israel Mistakenly Kills Hostages

(Bloomberg) -- A major demonstration is planned in Tel Aviv after Israel mistakenly killed three hostages during fighting in the Gaza Strip, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces criticism for what’s been called inaction on securing a new prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.   

The announcement of the deaths Friday by Israel’s defense forces prompted new questions about the conduct of its military campaign after US President Joe Biden called Israeli bombing “indiscriminate.” 

Israeli forces identified the three hostages as a threat during fighting in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza and fired at them, said Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari. 

The hostages were identified as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer Talalka. All were abducted from kibbutzim in southern Israel near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. The Times of Israel reported that the three were trying to escape their captors when they were killed.

The IDF will investigate the incident, which occurred on the same day that Al Jazeera said one of its cameramen in Gaza, Samer Abudaqa, was killed in an airstrike that also wounded one of his colleagues. Al Jazeera said rescuers weren’t able to reach Abudaqa because of the Israeli bombardment.

Biden Urges Israeli Caution as Leaders Eye ‘Lower-Intensity’ War

The deaths, which occurred while US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was visiting the region, raised new questions about Israel’s campaign, which followed the attack on southern Israel by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7. Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and about 240 taken hostage. 

Israel and Hamas ended a week-long cease-fire early in December that included daily exchanges of hostages taken by Hamas in the October attack for prisoners held by Israel. 

More than 100 people taken in the October raids are estimated to still be held in Gaza, 70 days after their capture. Israel’s negotiating team was ordered to return from Qatar, which had brokered the earlier exchanges, on Dec. 2. Families of the hostages are gathering Saturday in what’s called Hostages Plaza in Tel Aviv.

In a statement late Friday, Netanyahu expressed “deep sorrow” for the deaths, saying Israel would “learn the lessons and continue with a supreme effort to return all our abductees home safely.” 

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the hostages’ deaths “heartbreaking” but cautioned against making broader judgments about Israel’s ability to conduct its military campaign with more precision.

Israel has killed more than 18,700 Palestinians since starting its campaign two months ago, according to Hamas-run health authorities it Gaza; Israel disputes this estimates. On Thursday, President Joe Biden urged Israel to “be more careful.”

US officials including Sullivan are also talking to Israel about shifting the war from a crushing military assault to an operation that focuses on targeting leaders of Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and the European Union.  

“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, not stop going after Hamas,” Biden told reporters Thursday. Earlier in the day, Sullivan had met with Netanyahu and pushed him to shift to what the US calls lower-intensity operations in the future.

Sullivan met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a visit to the West Bank on Friday, and “expressed his deepest sympathy” for Palestinian lives lost since Oct. 7, the National Security Council said in a statement. The two talked about getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza and “stressed the importance of enhancing the protection of civilians,” the statement said.

The president on Tuesday described Israel’s bombing campaign as “indiscriminate” and said that while the US and European allies are still backing Israel, “they’re starting to lose that support.” 

--With assistance from Fares Akram and Jordan Fabian.

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