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.
The three were “mistakenly” identified as a “threat,” 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.
Here is a timeline of the events that unfolded, starting with when the three hostages were taken.
Kidnapped by Hamas
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.
Shamriz was abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 from Gaza City, the IDF said.
According to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, Shamriz’s family lost contact with him at 10:02 a.m. on Oct. 7 after he called his older brother, Yonatan, who told him “that the family loves and supports him.”
Haim was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas on Oct. 7.
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.
Talalka was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am by Hamas on Oct. 7.
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.
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.
Fled or abandoned
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 “fled or were abandoned by terrorists who held them captive, and…
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