Hundreds protested in Tel Aviv on Friday (December 15) night hours after the Israeli military announced it had mistakenly killed three hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas during an incident which is "under review," Reuters reports.
The military said the hostages were killed during combat with militants in Gaza and expressed its condolences to the families while saying there would be "full transparency" in the investigation into the incident.
The protesters first met outside a military compound in Tel Aviv and then marched through the city, carrying posters of hostages still held in Gaza and called on the government to bring them home.
A statement from the military said that during an intense battle in Gaza it "identified three Israeli hostages as a threat." "As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed."
The military named the dead hostages as Yotam Haim who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar, and Samer Talalka, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am and Alon Shamriz who was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. All were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, it said.
Hamas rampaged through Israeli towns killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages on Oct. 7. Israel then launched a counter-attack, during which Gaza health authorities say close to 19,000 people have been confirmed killed, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.
