Families of hostages mistakenly slain by IDF decry promotion of involved commander |
Two years after three escaped hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, families of two of those killed in the incident decried on Sunday the planned promotion of the battalion commander involved in the deadly incident.
Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samar Talalka were killed on December 15, 2023, during “intense fighting” in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood, five days after Israel Defense Forces troops had killed their captors, without knowing that the terror operatives had been holding hostages at the time.
The officer, Lt. Col. “Daled,” who commanded the Bislamach Brigade’s 17th Battalion at the time, was included on a list of appointments made by Ground Forces chief Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan on Friday.
Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam Haim, demanded Sunday that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir block the planned promotion, telling Ynet: “We are simply shaken… how can one give a promotion to such a person?”
“This commander heard shouting, and he was told that fluent Hebrew was being heard. He ordered [troops] to cease fire, but did not make sure that each and every soldier heard the order,” she said.
“This commander did not approach me on his own initiative even once. We forced him to come and speak with........