Israel At War Motzei Shabbos Miketz

Israel At war day 71

- U.S. is actively weighing options to strike Houthi targets in Yemen in response to its continuous attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Politico reports.

- Two major freight firms including MSC, the world's biggest container shipping line,  said they would avoid the Suez Canal as Houthi militants in Yemen stepped up their assaults on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

- Two  more soldiers killed in Gaza on Saturday, bringing the toll  of the ground operations to 121.

Joseph Avner Doran, 26, from Yerushalayim

Shalev Zaltsman, 24, from Ramat Yishai

- IDF troops mistakenly open fire and kill 3 hostages in northern Gaza battlefield

IDF spokesperson: Army responsible for ‘tragic incident’ in which Yotam Haim, from kibbutz kfar Aza, Samar Talalka, Alon Shamriz were shot dead Friday morning. Netanyahu said it is a Unbearable tragedy

IDF  troops mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood as a threat and opened fire at them, killing them the IDF bears full responsibility for the “tragic incident,” which took place on Friday morning, “in an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”

- Initial IDF probe: 3 hostages were shirtless, waving white flag when troops shot them

One of the 3 killed in tragic mistake shouted ‘Help’ in Hebrew; IDF says soldiers fired against protocols; on Wed., troops found ‘SOS’ and ‘Help, 3 hostages’ spray-painted nearby

Three hostages shot dead by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood Friday were shirtless, and one of them was carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag, the IDF said Saturday after an initial probe into the tragic incident. Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz managed to escape Hamas captivity before they were mistakenly shot dead by troops on Friday morning at around 10 a.m.

According to a senior officer in the Southern Command, citing an initial probe, the incident began after a soldier from Bislamach Brigade’s 17th Battalion stationed in a building identified three suspicious figures exiting a building several dozen meters away.

All three were shirtless, with one of the figures carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag, according to the investigation.

The soldier, who believed the men moving toward him was an attempt by Hamas to lure IDF soldiers into a trap, immediately opened fire and shouted “terrorists!” to the other forces.

According to the probe, that soldier killed two of the men, while the third man, who was hit and wounded, fled back into the building from which he came. At that stage, the commander of the battalion, who was also in the multi-story building where the soldier had fired from, went outside and called on the forces to stop shooting. Meanwhile, sounds of someone — apparently the third hostage — shouting “Help” in Hebrew were heard by troops in the area.

Moments later, the third man came out of the building to which he had fled, and another soldier opened fire at him, killing him.

- The cabinet is expected to deliberate efforts to reach another deal for a release of hostages held by Hamas.

- A reservist soldier was killed and another two were wounded this morning, including one seriously, when an explosive-laden drone launched from Lebanon impacted near the northern community of Margaliot, the military said. The soldier was identified as Yehezkel Azaria, 53, from Petach Tikva. 

- Today U.S. warship operating in the Red Sea shot down 14 attack drones from Yemen.

- 27 year old  hostage Inbar Heiman had from Chaifa was killed in captivity by Hamas in Gaza