Israeli captives shot by IOF were carrying white flags: Israeli forces
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In a virtual briefing to the media, an occupation officer who asked to remain anonymous presented the findings of an ongoing preliminary inquiry into the deaths of the 3 captives killed by IOF.
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Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
According to an Israeli occupation official on Saturday, the 3 Israeli captives killed by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) were shot even though one cried for help speaking Hebrew.
An initial inquiry, as cited by an IOF official, showed that the three Israeli captives killed "mistakenly" in Gaza by the IOF were also holding up a white flag.
In a virtual briefing to the media, an Israeli officer who asked to remain anonymous presented the findings of an ongoing preliminary inquiry into their deaths.
He explained that settlers Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz, both captured from Kibbutz "Kfar Aza" and Samer el-Talalqa, who was taken from Kibbutz "Nir Am" reportedly "emerged tens of meters from one of our forces' positions", and explained, "They're all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it."
According to him an IOF member then "felt threatened" and shot at the captives.
"He declares that they're terrorists. They (soldiers) open fire. Two are killed immediately, and one is injured and runs back into the building."
Most shocking is the fact that one IOF member recalled hearing one captive "cry for help... in Hebrew".
"Immediately, the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order. But again, there's another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies," the official detailed.
According to the official, the three captives exited from a building near IOF positions. They were shirtless and holding a white flag.
The occupation official excused the behavior of the IOF despite admitting that it goes "against our rules of engagement," citing that they had been under "intense pressure," and fearful of being ambushed by the Palestinian resistance.
"Israel" killed its own settlers
At the end of October, an insightful report by The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal highlighted the probable crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces against their own settlers on October 7.
The Israeli military apparatus took actions that most likely led it to kill a number of its own settlers, according to the report.
A collection of photo evidence, statements, and testimonies of settlers in occupied territories, was the basis for the extensive report published by The Grayzone.
In the aftermath of the wide-scale confrontations in Envelope settlements and kibbutzim, the Israeli political and military command sought to frame "Hamas" fighters for the murdering of Israeli settlers in the area. The IOF and Israeli officials carried out a systematic campaign that sought to demonize the Palestinian Resistance, equating Hamas to ISIS while showing unverified evidence of the alleged acts.
Thousands of Israelis take to streets after IOF killed 3 captives
In response to the killings, thousands of Israeli captives' families protested on Friday evening in "Kaplan" Street, now known as the "Hostages Square" in "Tel Aviv", demanding that their government restart negotiations for a new prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance, according to Israeli media.
Following news that Israel killed 3 captives in Shujaiya, families of captives and supporters hold emergency protest outside military HQ in Tel Aviv demanding Netanyahu make an immediate deal with Hamas.
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) December 15, 2023
“All of them now!”
“Today we learned what happens when there is no deal”… pic.twitter.com/FzeqUXl9IJ
The demonstrators started their protest at the entrance to the Ministry of Security and the General Staff Headquarters in "Tel Aviv," blocking roads following the announcement that three Israeli captives were shot and killed by occupation forces in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood, after "mistakenly" identifying them as Resistance fighters from Hamas' Al-Qassam.
A former journalist at Maariv stated, "You won't hear about this in the news; prisoners' families are now coming out for a spontaneous night of protest and anger... The demonstrators are raising their voices, emphasizing that they want the prisoners alive, not in coffins or in the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute."
