The IDF has revealed that it captured footage of an Israeli hostage calling for help after the terrorists who were holding him and two other men were killed – but the camera was not analyzed until after the army mistakenly shot them dead days later.
The Golani Brigade command encountered a group of Hamas terrorists who opened fire on them from a building on December 10, the Times of Israel reported, citing a military investigation into the hostage deaths.
During the battle, a dog with the Oketz elite unit was sent into the building, where Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 22, and Alon Shamriz, 26, were detained.
Before being killed by the army, the terrorist shot dead the canine, but the GoPro camera he was carrying continued to operate and recorded the voice of a hostage believed to be Shamriz, according to the outlet.
“Help!” he shouted in Hebrew, adding that there were other hostages with him who were also not visible in the footage.
The video of the downed dog was not directly monitored by the army, which left the animal at the scene while they attacked other targets, the Times of Israel reported.
Three Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by the IDF used leftover food to write signs asking for help, according to the Israeli military. @IDFSpokesperson / X IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Herzi Halevi stressed the rules of engagement to soldiers after the tragic incident. @IDFSpokesperson / X
It was only on December 18 that the IDF checked the camera and found its disturbing content, according to a military investigation.
Golani’s team believed they had heard “Save us!” and “hostages” during gun battles, but they believe the calls came from terrorists using them as a ruse.
IDF chief of staff Lt. General Herzl Halevi has ordered an investigation into the footage as part of an overall investigation into the accident, Israel Hayom reported.
The families of the three men were updated on the latest developments, which further explained the steps they took to alert the IDF of their presence as they tried to avoid recapture over the next five days.
Alon Shamriz, 26, has been identified as the third Israeli casualty killed by the IDF. Avi Lulu/Facebook Yotam Haim, 28, was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during a Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. AP
The hostages had used leftover food to write “SOS” and “Please, 3 hostages” on a white cloth they hung on a building in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City.
“Based on the investigation of the incident on the ground, it appears that the three abductees were in the building where the sign was located, at least at one time,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari wrote on X.
The shirtless trio then waved a white flag as they approached Israeli soldiers, one of whom saw them as a threat and opened fire against military regulations.
Samer Talalka, 22, was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am. Family photo
Two of the hostages were killed instantly while the third returned to the building after being wounded, officials said.
When cries for help were heard in Hebrew, the battalion commander ordered his troops to stop firing, but the wounded man was also shot and killed as he came out, an army official said.
Haim and Shamriz were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during a Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7. Talalka was taken from Kibbutz Nir Am.
Relatives and friends mourn at Alon Shamriz’s funeral. AFP via Getty Images Iris Haim is the mother of slain hostage Yotam Haim. AP
As a result of the friendly fire tragedy, the IDF sent soldiers new protocols for the possibility of additional hostages successfully escaping from custody.
The Post has reached out to the IDF for comment.
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