Israeli hostages mistakenly killed put out SOS sign written with leftover food

Three Israeli hostages who were shot and killed by the Israeli military had hung up a sign reading ‘help, three hostages’ in Hebrew.

The IDF has come under intense scrutiny in recent days after admitting soldiers killed three of the hostages captured by Hamas on October 7.

The Israeli hostages – Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26 – were shot in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City and had been staying in the building next to where they were shot ‘for some time’.

Officials have admitted killing the three men was a breach of ‘rules of engagement’.

They had written a sign saying ‘help, three hostages’ and ‘SOS’ in Hebrew using leftover food, hanging it over a wall of the building they had been sheltering in.

An Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the BBC the three men were shirtless and holding a white flag when they emerged from the building.

The hostages pleaded for help with a makeshift sign reading ‘SOS’ (Picture: Reuters)

(L-R) Alon Shamriz, Samer Talalka and Yotam Haim were mistakenly shot and killed by the IDF on Friday (Picture: AP)

One of the soldiers felt threatened, declared them ‘terrorists’ and opened fire. Two were immediately killed while the third, wounded, returned to the building.

A cry for help was heard in Hebrew and the battalion commander ordered the troops to cease fire. The wounded hostage later re-emerged, and was shot and killed, the official said.

It is not clear if the hostages had been abandoned by their captors or escaped.

It’s thought around 120 hostages are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The deaths of Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz have ramped up pressure from the families of hostages for Israel to negotiate another ceasefire so more can be freed.

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An earlier ceasefire led to the release of more than 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Pressure for a truce is also increasing internationally, including from Israel’s main ally, the US, with France calling for an ‘immediate and durable truce’ while the UK and Germany call for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’.

But Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has deflected the calls and says ‘military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory’.

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