The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this Saturday that he is “heartbroken” after the Israeli army “mistakenly” killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, but that his country must maintain “military pressure.”

“It left me heartbroken. He left the entire nation heartbroken,” Netanyahu said during a press conference.

“Despite this misfortune, I want to remember one thing: military pressure is necessary to achieve the return of the hostages and achieve victory against our enemies,” he added.

The Jewish State Army admitted that the three hostages killed by its soldiers in Gaza waved a white flag and asked for help in Hebrew, after releasing the first elements of its investigation into this incident, which sparked protests in Tel Aviv.

https://www.laestrella.com.pa/mundo/netanyahu-corazon-roto-muerte-rehenes-presion-militar-EF5623503

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari had explained on Friday that during fighting in Gaza City, troops “mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, soldiers fired at them.”

The victims, Yotam Haim (28 years old), Alon Shamriz (26) and Samer El Talalqa (25), died during operations in a Gaza City neighborhood, according to the army.

The three were among around 250 people kidnapped by Islamist militants during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which left 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

In response, Israel began an offensive in Gaza that left at least 18,800 Palestinians dead, 70% of them women, children and adolescents, according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health.