«I think the three hostages did everything possible so that we would understand . but the tension overcame all of the above.»
His statement, in full (translation via IDF):
The incident in which IDF soldiers accidentally killed Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer El-Talalka, may their memories be a blessing, is a difficult and painful event. The three hostages, who survived seventy days of hell, moved toward IDF soldiers and were killed by our forces’ fire. There is nothing that the IDF soldiers and their commanders in the Gaza Strip want more than to rescue the hostages alive. In this case, we were not successful. We feel the deep sorrow of the families for the death of the hostages.
The IDF, and I as its commander, are responsible for what happened, and we will do everything to prevent such incidents from recurring in future combat. I put myself in the shoes of the soldier in Shejaiya, after days of hard fighting, close-range encounters, and confrontations with terrorists dressed in civilian clothing that use various deceptive methods.
