During the fighting in Shejaiya, an IDF force mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result the force fired at them and they were killed.
During a scan and inspection of the area of the incident, a suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead. The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli abductees.
Their bodies were examined at "Merkaz HaTzvi" in Shura camp, where the abductees were identified: Yotam Haim, z"l, who was abducted from Kfar Aza by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7. Samer Talalka, z"l, who was kidnapped from Nir Am by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7. Alon Shamriz, z"l, who was kidnapped from Kfar Aza by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7. A message was given to his family by representatives of the IDF and the Israel Police.
The IDF stated: "The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the incident and shares in the grief of the families. The IDF began investigating the incident immediately. This is a combat zone where there have been many clashes in recent days. Immediate lessons from the incident are now being passed on to all the fighting forces in the field. The IDF will continue to act to return the abductees home."