Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by own military in Gaza were filmed on dog camera days before shooting

Maira Butt
·2 min read
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(Courtesy of the Shamriz, Al-Talalka and Haim families via AP)
(Courtesy of the Shamriz, Al-Talalka and Haim families via AP)

Footage from a GoPro camera mounted on an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) dog has been recovered showing one of the killed Israeli hostages shouting for help five days before they were shot.

A preliminary investigation found that three male hostages who were shirtless and carrying a makeshift white flag were killed by Israeli forces last week.

The IDF called the incident “horrific and tragic”, however human rights groups say it is almost certainly a violation of international law – Israel deny this.

The Israeli military official said that they believed that the hostages – who were named by the military as Samer Fuad El-Talalka, Yotam Haim and Alon Shamriz – had either been let go or had escaped.

Now, new details from a military investigation into the deaths of the three men show a dog being sent into a building after IDF troops came under fire from inside, according to Israeli media outlets.

The video was not found until two days ago when the body of the canine was retrieved.

Families of hostages have called for a ceasefire and immediate release of hostages (EPA)
Families of hostages have called for a ceasefire and immediate release of hostages (EPA)

The animal was part of the Oketz canine unit which recruits Belgian shepherds and is reported to have been sent into the building in search of Hamas operatives after IDF troops came under fire from inside.

The animal was killed but the camera kept rolling and captured one of the voices of one of the hostages, believed to be Alon Shamriz shouting “help” in Hebrew and saying that there were hostages there, as their captors were killed by IDF troops in battle.

The dog’s recording appears not to have been monitored and troops then left the area. Five days later the hostages tried to approach IDF soldiers and were shot dead.

The video has not been released.

It comes after Israel has faced mounting criticism for “indiscriminate killing” after a mother and daughter were killed outside a Catholic church.

Following news of the deaths, the families of other hostages in Gaza called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an agreement to secure the release of the rest of the captives saying “every second counts” for those left behind.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “terrible tragedy” but – contrary to the demands of the families – appeared to double down on Israel’s military objectives saying “military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory”.