One of the Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by the Israeli army in Gaza this week was buried north of Tel Aviv on Sunday, December 17. His brother accused the army of “abandoning and murdering” him.
An Israeli hostage who was mistakenly killed by soldiers in the Gaza Strip this week was buried on Sunday, with his brother slamming the army for having “abandoned and murdered” him.
Alon Shamriz, 26, was one of the three Israeli hostages shot dead by soldiers during an operation in the Gaza City suburb of Shujaiya, even as they carried a white flag and cried for help in Hebrew.
Shamriz, Yotam Haim and Samer el-Talalqa were killed when troops mistook them for a threat and opened fire, the army said.
“Those who abandoned you also murdered you after all that you did right,” Ido, Shamriz’s brother said at the funeral in kibbutz Shefayim north of Tel Aviv, attended by dozens of relatives and family members.
“You survived 70 days in hell,” Shamriz’s mother, Dikla, said in her eulogy. “Another moment and you would have been in my arms.”
‘Violation of the Rules of Engagement’
Israeli media reported that Talalqa was buried on Saturday, while Haim’s funeral was scheduled for Monday.
The deaths of the three men, all in their twenties, have sparked protests in Tel Aviv as demonstrators demand that the authorities offer a new plan for bringing home the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Military spokesman Richard Hecht said on Sunday that the deaths were being investigated and what the soldiers did was a “violation of the rules of engagement.”
Some 250 people were taken hostage when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to updated Israeli figures.
At least 129 hostages are still held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Malo Pinatel, with AFP
