Three Israeli hostages were shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces troops on Friday during combat with Hamas in the Gaza district of Shijaiyah, the IDF said<\/a>.<\/p>\n The three were \u201cmistakenly\u201d identified as a \u201cthreat,\u201d an IDF spokesperson said on X at 1:17 p.m. ET on Friday. The grave mistake has since prompted an outpouring of anger and grief from Israelis.<\/p>\n Here is a timeline of the events that unfolded, starting with when the three hostages were taken.<\/p>\n The three killed on Friday were later identified as Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka. They were all taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 at the start of the war, along with more than 200 other hostages.<\/p>\n Shamriz was abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 from Gaza City, the IDF said.<\/p>\n According to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, Shamriz\u2019s family lost contact with him at 10:02 a.m. on Oct. 7 after he called his older brother, Yonatan, who told him \u201cthat the family loves and supports him.\u201d<\/p>\n Haim was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n He spoke to his family on the day the war began and told them his house had burned down, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum. He talked to his parents until 10:44 a.m. when he opened his window and was kidnapped by Hamas.<\/p>\n Talalka was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am by Hamas on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n The eldest of 10 children, Talalka lived in the town of Hura and worked with his father and brothers at a chicken hatchery near the kibbutz, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum.<\/p>\n He was at the chicken hatchery with his father on Oct. 7 and told his sister on the phone that he had been injured by Hamas gunfire. Then the call disconnected, the statement said.<\/p>\n It is still unclear how the three hostages ended up in Shijaiyah. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Friday that the three either \u201cfled or were abandoned by terrorists who held them captive, and during the last few days, or this day, they reached the point they reached.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIntelligence that we hold \u2014 every day there is a situation assessment regarding both airstrikes and ground action \u2014 at the end of the day we estimate that they either managed to escape or were abandoned, and unfortunately the tragic results of the event ended in their deaths,\u201d Hagari added.<\/p>\n The three hostages emerged near an IDF position during intense combat taking place between IDF soldiers and Hamas in Shijaiyah, an IDF official said Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were all without shirts, and they have a stick with a white cloth on it,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n A threatened IDF soldier opened fire at the group, immediately killing two of the hostages and injuring a third hostage who ran back into the building, the official said. A cry for help in Hebrew prompted a commander to issue a cease-fire, but the third hostage died after another round of gunfire, the official said. It is not clear if the third person died from the the second round of gunfire or if he succumbed to injuries from the first one.<\/p>\n The official noted that there was a building in the vicinity with the \u201cmarkings of SOS\u201d on it and said \u201cwe\u2019re still looking to see if there\u2019s a connection between that building and the hostages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis was against our rules of engagement,\u201d the official said. \u201cI repeat, it was against our rules of engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n Hagari in his press conference neglected to answer questions about whether IDF soldiers tried to identify the three hostages before firing, and whether the hostages raised their arms and shouted in Hebrew before being fired upon.<\/p>\n Hagari said IDF troops became suspicious about the identities of the three men who were killed.<\/p>\n The three bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination, at which point it was confirmed they were three Israeli hostages, Hagari said.<\/p>\n Hagari said the bodies were identified after they were then taken to the \u201cHatzvi\u201d Center at the Shura Camp for additional examination.<\/p>\n The IDF and Israeli police then notified the families of the deceased. <\/p>\n The IDF began looking into the incident \u201cimmediately,\u201d Hagari said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF emphasizes that this is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred,\u201d Hagari said. \u201cImmediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n The IDF first identified Haim and Talalka as two of the three killed on Friday.<\/p>\n Haim, who was 28 when he was killed, had \u201clong ginger hair and beautiful blue eyes that you could get lost in,\u201d according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, adding that he was a \u201cgifted musician\u201d who played drums for 20 years. He was supposed to perform at a metal music festival in Tel Aviv on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n Talalka, 25 when he was killed, was an \u201cavid motorcyclist who loved to ride around the countryside and spend time with friends,\u201d according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum.<\/p>\n In the immediate aftermath, the third hostage\u2019s family asked that his name not be broadcast.<\/p>\n \u201cMy heart is broken upon hearing of the tragedy this evening. I want to hug the families \u2014 the whole nation of Israel is crying with you. I strengthen all the families of the abductees, as well as the soldiers who are deep in the territory and are carrying out a complex and important task of which we have not known since the establishment of the state,\u201d Israeli war Cabinet minister Benny Gantz said<\/a> Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pain that accompanies the campaign, grows more in the face of the difficult event,\u201d he continued. \u201cOur responsibility is to win the war, and part of that victory will be to bring the abductees home. We will do everything to bring them back alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u200fTogether with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the fall of three of our dear sons who were kidnapped, among them Yotam Chaim and Samer Fouad al-Talalka,\u201d Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said<\/a> Friday.<\/p>\n He called the incident \u201can unbearable tragedy,\u201d adding \u201cthe entire state of Israel will mourn this evening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI strengthen our brave warriors who penetrate the sacred mission of returning our abducted, even at the cost of their lives,\u201d he continued. \u201cEven on this difficult evening, we will bind up our wounds, learn the lessons and continue our utmost effort to return all our abductees home safely.\u201d<\/p>\nKidnapped by Hamas<\/h2>\n
Fled or abandoned<\/h2>\n
Waving \u2018white cloth\u2019<\/h2>\n
Suspicions emerge over ID of hostages<\/h2>\n
IDF began investigating the incident \u2018immediately\u2019<\/h2>\n
Two of the killed hostages identified<\/h2>\n
![\"Yotam](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2023-12\/231216-Yotam-Haim-Samer-Talalka-mjf-1643jpg-f6bd04.jpg\")
<\/picture>Benny Gantz said his \u2018heart is broken\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2023-12\/231215-tel-aviv-protests-mjf-0915-564f76.jpg\")
<\/picture>Netanyahu in \u2018deep sorrow\u2019<\/h2>\n
Defense minister: \u2018The mistake is painful for every Israeli\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Alon](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2023-12\/231216-Alon-Shamriz-mjf-1637-07e4f1.jpg\")
<\/picture>![\"A](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2023-12\/231216-Alon-Shamriz-shabbat-placement-mjf-1418-d333f7.jpg\")
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