The White House described the accidental killing of three hostages by Israeli forces in Gaza on Friday as “heartbreaking” and “tragic.”
The captured Israelis, who were abducted during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, were shot at in Gaza's Shejaiya neighborhood after they members of the Israel Defense Force considered them a 'threat'.
White House spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden had been informed of the deaths.
“I think the Israelis will certainly look into this and I'm sure they will do the forensics and try to find out how… how this happened,” he said.
Two of the victims have been named: Yotam Haim, 28, who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samer Fouad Talalka, 22, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am on October 7.
John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, called the accidental killing of three hostages by Israeli forces in Gaza “heartbreaking” and “tragic.”
Yotam Haim was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. On Friday, the Israel Defense Force announced that he was one of three hostages killed accidentally
The third hostage will not be named by the IDF at the request of their family.
During a briefing call with reporters, Kirby was asked whether the killings reflected growing concerns about whether Israel was using appropriate force.
“I don't think we can necessarily make a general judgment about the specific circumstances here and what that says about the ability to be more surgical and more precise,” Kirby said.
A day earlier, Biden himself said he wanted Israel to be more careful in avoiding civilian deaths, and his national security adviser spoke to Israeli officials about switching to a lower-intensity campaign.
“I want them to focus on saving civilian lives,” Biden told reporters, amid mounting signs that international support for Israel was ebbing. “Don't stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.”
Earlier Friday, the IDF expressed its regret for the killings.
“During fighting in Shejaiya, the IDF incorrectly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat,” the report said. “As a result, the troops shot at them and killed them.”
The force expressed 'deep regret over the tragic incident' and immediately launched an investigation.
Samer Fouad Al-Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am, was also killed by the IDF
The captured Israelis, who were kidnapped on October 7, were shot at while near Shejaiya in Gaza after members of the IDF mistook them as a 'threat'.
IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said: 'This is a tragic incident, the IDF bears responsibility. This is an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”
The Israeli military said it will “immediately assess the incident,” adding that “immediate lessons” had also been learned.
The force said its mission remains to “locate the missing and return all hostages home.”
Yotam's mother Iris Haim has been desperately trying to get her son home since he disappeared more than two months ago.
She spoke Tuesday at a press conference held by The Missing Families and Hostages Forum: thinking back to the last conversation she had with her son.
The terrified mother described the moment her son was taken by Hamas terrorists from a safe room where he had been hiding at 10.44am on October 7.
He told his mother that terrorists “shot at the house, shot at the door, shot at the safe room and set the house on fire.”
Their conversation started at 6:30 a.m., but became even more frantic after her son discovered that it was not a rocket attack, but a terror attack on his kibbutz.
A panicked Iris said her son, who suffers from mental and medical problems, was alone and 'scared'. She tried calling the police and the military, but couldn't get through.
Yotam Haim, 28, (right) pictured with his brother Tuval Haim, 31, (left). Yotam was killed by the IDF after being mistaken for a terrorist
Yotam Hami, 28, was hiding in a safe room at his kibbutz when he was kidnapped on October 7
Yotam was one of three Israeli hostages accidentally killed by the IDF
Yotam's parents lived in a nearby moshav and his father desperately wanted to retrieve his son, but was unable to do so due to Hamas in the area.
“We couldn't help it,” she cried. “We knew we couldn't help as mothers and as fathers we were so helpless.”
She called his mother “mamou,” the endearing name her son started using after a mother-son trip to France. She started to cry as she remembered the last time they spoke before they lost all communication.
“Mamou, I hope I survive this,” Yotam said to his mother. 'I don't know if I'll survive, but I love you… ask for help… please… please… send someone please… I have no air… I can't breathe. '
A few weeks ago, when I spoke at another forum for those whose loved ones have been killed or kidnapped by Hamas. Iris begged for his son to be returned. “He needs to go back to his family… to us,” she said.
Samar was working at Kibbutz Nir Am's hatchery on October 7, where he often worked weekend shifts and had to be there early in the morning, according to The Times of Israel.
On the day of the attacks, local organizer Wahid Ahoziil said he tried to get hold of Samar, who worked with his father, but “he didn't answer.”
The IDF has expressed “deep regret over the tragic incident” and immediately launched an investigation
“He's a great guy,” Ahoziil said in the aftermath of the attacks. “He wants to live an honest life.”
Samar was a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel. He was taken along with two other community members.
Earlier, the IDF said it had recovered three more bodies of hostages seized by Hamas during the deadly October 7 attacks.
The victims were identified as Elia Toledano, 28, Cpl. Nik Beizer, 19, and Sgt. Ron Sherman, 19.
Toledano, a French-Israeli, was among an estimated 240 people kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
He had attended the Nova music festival with his friend and fellow French-Israeli Mia Schem, who was released under a ceasefire in late November.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna expressed deep sadness over Toledano's death.
'We share the grief of his family and loved ones. The release of all hostages is our priority,” she wrote on X.
According to the Israeli military, 132 of the hostages transferred to Gaza are still being held.
Hamas kidnapped about 250 hostages during its attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, according to official figures.
More than 18,700 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory war against the group, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the area.
The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that one of its main war goals is the return of all hostages.
