Israeli military mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza, officials say

Israeli troops mistakenly shot three hostages to death Friday in a battle-torn Gaza City neighbourhood, and an Israeli strike killed a Palestinian journalist in the south of the besieged territory, underscoring the ferocity of Israel's ongoing onslaught.

The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy tried to persuade the Israelis to scale back their campaign sooner rather than later.

The hostages were killed in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah where troops have engaged in fierce battles against Hamas militants in recent days. 

The soldiers mistakenly identified the three Israelis as a threat and opened fire on them, said army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

He said it was believed the three had either fled their captors or been abandoned.

"Perhaps in the last few days, or over the past day, we still don't know all the details, they reached this area," Hagari said. He said the army expressed "deep sorrow" and was investigating.

Hamas and other militants abducted some 240 people in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, and the hostages' plight has dominated public discourse ever since. Their families have led a powerful public campaign calling on the government to do more to bring them home.

Demonstrations in solidarity with the hostages and their families take place nearly every day. Late Friday, hundreds of protesters blocked Tel Aviv's main highway in a spontaneous demonstration calling for the the hostages' return.

Israeli political and military leaders often say freeing all the hostages is their top aim in the war alongside destroying Hamas.

Still, in the seven weeks since ground troops pushed into northern Gaza, troops have not rescued any hostages, though they freed one early in the conflict and have found the bodies of several others.

Hamas released over 100 in swaps for Palestinian prisoners last month, and more than 130 are believed to still be in captivity.

The three hostages killed by Israeli troops on Friday were identified as three young men who had been abducted from Israeli communities near the Gaza border: 28-year-old Yotam Haim, 25-year-old Samer Al-Talalka and 26-year-old Alon Shamriz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called their deaths an "unbearable tragedy," vowing to continue "with a supreme effort to return all the hostages home safely."

The deaths were announced as a U.S. envoy said the U.S. and Israel were discussing a timetable for scaling back intense combat operations in the war against Hamas, even though they agree the overall fight will take months.