28-year-old Yotam Haim, 22-year-old Samer Talalka, and 26-year-old Alon Shamriz were killed by Israeli soldiers in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza on Friday.
According to a statement from the Israeli army, the Israelis who were shot had been staying in a building adjacent to where they were shot.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli military official said, "The men emerged shirtless from a building, one of them carrying a white-clothed stick."
The official stated that one of the soldiers felt threatened, considering the men as "terrorists," despite them being tens of meters away, and opened fire on them. One of the cloths had "We are 3 hostages" written on it.
Two of the three Israelis died instantly, while one entered the building wounded. The soldiers ceased firing upon hearing a plea for help in Hebrew, but the injured person had already lost their life.
Despite an "SOS" signal (International Morse Code emergency signal) written on a white cloth hanging outside the building, Israeli soldiers killed their own citizens, claiming they thought they were "terrorists." Another cloth had "We are 3 hostages" written on it.
The Israeli army, denying that they killed civilians, acknowledged that killing their citizens carrying a white flag was a violation of "rules of engagement."
