Protests rock Tel Aviv after Israel admits killing own people in Gaza

Hundreds of people have protested in Tel Aviv as the military admitted that it shot and killed three Israeli prisoners held in the north of the besieged Gaza Strip. 

Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the military, said the three Israelis held by Hamas since early October were “mistakenly” killed by friendly fire in the Gaza neighborhood of Shujaiya.

“During searches and checks in the area in which the incident occurred, a suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased,” he said. “Their bodies were transferred…for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.”

Hagari said the military was “reviewing” the circumstances around the fatal shooting. His statement identified the three prisoners as Yotam Haim, Alon Shimriz and Samer Talalka.

As news of the incident spread, hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv to call on the Israeli regime to secure the release of 129 prisoners still being held in Gaza.

“I am dying of fear,” said Merav Svirsky, sister of prisoner Itay Svirsky. “We demand a deal now.”

Last month, an investigative report by Press TV stated that Israeli forces were believed to have killed their own people, but the regime’s media were blaming Palestinian resistance forces for the deaths.