An IDF review of GoPro camera footage from a military K9 killed during a clash with terrorists in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood uncovered new evidence regarding the three hostages who were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces over the weekend.
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The K9 was killed in a clash during which a Golani reconnaissance unit fire team engaged with terrorists who were hiding in a residential building on December 10.
The camera was only located on December 18, three days after the tragic friendly fire incident that resulted in the death of the three captives.
The dog was fatally shot after entering the building, yet the camera remained operational and recorded the events. The IDF suspects that the hostages—Samer Talalka, Alon Shamriz and Yotam Haim— were detained in this particular building, several hundred yards away from where they were ultimately killed.
In a different building, the IDF earlier this week reported that Israeli forces found SOS signs hanging that seemed to have been hastily made by the hostages from food scraps in a desperate attempt to signal for help.
The military suspects that the terrorists who captured the three hostages were killed in the same encounter that resulted in the dog's death. In a review of the camera footage, screams for help amid the gunfire targeting the dog could be heard, along with cries saying "hostages."
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Signs with calls for help in the Gaza Strip, near the location where the Israeli hostages were shot by IDF forces
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
One of the hostages is also apparently heard in the recording calling out his name. The Golani reconnaissance soldiers might have heard Hebrew words during the incident, but likely believed these were coming from the terrorists who were firing at them.
The military assessed that the terrorists employed deception tactics in this incident, yet the hostages survived, escaped the scene and seemingly wandered solo in the neighborhood for five days.
They created "Help, 3 hostages" and "SOS" signs with food leftovers in another building where they took shelter, close to where they were eventually killed.
On Friday, December 15, they emerged shirtless, holding white flags, but were nonetheless mistakenly shot to death by a force that misidentified them as terrorists.
The investigation into the incident is expected to be finalized in the coming days, uncovering further details about the event that are currently unknown. The IDF did not update the families regarding the video; they learned about it from other media sources that covered the story.