IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari/Twitter
The three hostages who were mistakenly shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Gaza this week had created an SOS signal by smearing leftover food on a white piece of cloth in the lead-up to their deaths, the Israeli Defence Forces said Sunday.
“Following the tragic incident in which three Israeli hostages were accidentally shot by the IDF, searches were carried out in the building near the scene of the incident, where signs for help were written, apparently using leftover food,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement posted to X.
Photos that were attached to the post show a white piece of cloth with an SOS signal written out in red letters, hanging beneath a window on the second floor of the building. A second photo shows another white piece of fabric with the words “Help, three hostages” written with the same red substance as the SOS sign on the ground floor.