The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has confirmed it killed three men being held hostage by Hamas after they were “mistakenly identified as a threat”. 

The victims were identified as Samer Talalka, 22, Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shamriz, 26. 

Troops opened fire on the men following fighting in Gaza City.  

The IDF reported the men were wearing “civilian clothes” and walking towards its troops. 

IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari explained suspicions about the identities of the men quickly emerged and after the bodies were moved to Israeli territory, it was confirmed they were Israeli citizens. 

The military said it would begin investigations into their deaths “immediately”. 

“We have already disseminated guidelines for our troops on the ground to make sure that we minimise the risks of this happening again,” IDF Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “deep sorrow” over their deaths and called the incident an “unbearable tragedy”. 

“Today, on this painful evening, we will dress our wounds, learn the lessons and continue the most important effort of bringing all the hostages home,” he said. 

Hamas took over 240 hostages from Israel during their initial attacks on October 7th. More than 100 hostages still remain captive, according to Israeli authorities. 

A cameraman working for Al-Jazeera has also been killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza. 

Cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa had been filming at a school-turned-shelter in Khan Younis. 

Correspondent Wael Dahdouh was also injured in the airstrike.