Gaza: Israeli army mistakenly kills hostages

By Nathan Morley

The Israelis say the three men – all hostages – were misidentified as being a threat.

An Army official said one of its troops saw the hostages emerging from a building, holding a stick with a white rag attached to it. The soldier felt exposed and opened fire, declaring that the men were terrorists.

In response, hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Friday night, holding placards and candles calling on the government to secure the release of more than 100 more hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described the deaths as an unbearable tragedy.

Offensive continues in Gaza

Meanwhile, the Israeli offensive has continued in Gaza - with residents reporting fighting in northern, central, and southern Gaza. A TV cameraman working for an Arabic news network was reportedly killed by either shrapnel or a drone.

Elsewhere, the World Health Organization's representative in Gaza says more needs to be done on the humanitarian front. He said there were hospitals "barely functional" in the north of Gaza.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry reported that 18,800 people are now known to have been killed since Israel commenced its campaign after the 7 October Hamas raid on Israel.