President Isaac Herzog announced Wednesday that he will hold a ceremony to honor the bravery of three hostages who escaped Hamas captivity, and were mistakenly shot by IDF soldiers believing they were confronting a threat.
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The victims, Yotam Haim, taken from Kfar Aza, Samar Talalka, abducted from Nir Am, and Alon Shamriz called for help, saying "Help we are under the stairs, please help."
The three were captured on a camera attached to a dog who was sent in to inspect the building where the three had been hiding. Although the dog was shot by the Hamas captors, the camera kept working. The young men continued to call for help. "We are Israeli hostages, help, Alon, and Yotam. They did not call out the name of the Arab citizen of Israel likely out of fear that his name would confuse the troops into thinking he was a terrorist.
According to Herzog, he decided on the move "given the extraordinary circumstances of the event." At an event to be held at the President's Residence later, Herzog will honor, on behalf of the state, "the determination, courage, and unique heroism they demonstrated and present their families with a unique certificate of appreciation."
In a statement from the President's Residence, it was said that Herzog informed the families and Defense Ministry officials of his intention to grant the certificates and that a ceremony would be held at the President's Residence at a date to be determined later.