Israel at War: What happened on Day 71?

Israel's war cabinet is set to convene on Saturday evening to discuss a reported deal to rescue more hostages from Gaza captivity, Israel media reported.

According to the report, the deal discussed in talks between Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatar includes the release of elderly men and civilians in exchange for 'senior' Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.

Netanyahu said that Israel mourns the deaths of the three hostages accidentally killed Friday by the IDF as they escaped their captors in Gaza: Yotam Haim, 28, Alon Shamriz, 26, and Samer Talalka was 25, Netanyahu said.

“When I was informed about the terrible tragedy - it shocked me,” Netanyahu said. The three men survived for 70 days and “were just a step away from freedom… and that’s when the disaster happened. It broke my heart. It broke the whole nation's heart. Our hearts go out to the families in their time of sorrow,” he said.

The IDF announced that Maj.-Gen. (res) Yehezkel Azaria, 53 years old from Petah Tikva, fell during operations on the northern border with Lebanon on Saturday.

In fact, Azaria, a fighter in the 129th Battalion, was killed in connection with a drone which had penetrated into Israel, which fell on him in the Margaliot area near Lebanon.

Two other IDF soldiers were also wounded during the incident.

The drone was one of two drones which penetrated Israeli territory on Saturday.

One of the drones was shot down by the IDF, while the other crashed and started a fire.

The first identified abductee by the IDF forces was Yotam Haim, likely recognized by his distinctive tattoos. Following their identification, the three were immediately examined in Israel, and news of this tragic event quickly surfaced.

The IDF clarified the battlefield's challenging and dense nature, highlighting ongoing extensive investigations and scans to locate the place where the abductees were held.

For reasons not fully clear, the IDF initially focused its efforts against Shejaia, one of the strongest Hamas battalions, known for its role in the October 7 massacre in the kibbutzim.

Yagil Yaakov, 13, who was released after 52 days of Hamas captivity, recorded a reenactment of a propaganda video released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad early in November.

"I miss my dad like crazy and also all the friends from the kibbutz who remained in Gaza. I want to tell Bibi that I really need my dad at home," Yaakov said.

"I'm waiting for him so we can celebrate my bar mitzvah. As time passes, he and all the friends there are in greater danger. We don't abandon hostages in the field."

Yaakov was abducted alongside his brother, Or, and his father who remains in captivity.

A contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Gaza was killed with his wife and two daughters aged four and two in an Israeli airstrike in November, his employer said on Saturday.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm the tragic loss of our colleague, Hani Jnena (33), along with his family in Gaza, including his wife, Abeer (32), and their two young daughters, Mariam and Zayna, aged 4 and 2," non-profit organization Global Communities, which partners with governments and private sector entities for humanitarian work, said in a statement.

"Based on the information currently available to us, the young family was killed on Sunday, November 5, during an Israeli airstrike in the Al Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City at the residence of Hani's in-laws," the statement added.

The family had recently sought safety there after fleeing airstrikes in their own neighborhood of Al Sheikh in Gaza City, Global Communities said, adding his in-laws were killed as well.

An operation near the Hamas compound in Kamal Adowan Hospital in Jabaliya came to a close Saturday, leading to arrests and seizure of weapons, according to the IDF.

In recent days, the forces of the 460th Brigade Combat Team in the 162nd Division have been operating in the area, leading fighters to arrest about 90 terrorists in the area.

Some of those arrested participated in the October 7 massacre.

The IDF reportedly destroyed terrorist infrastructure and weapon depots. Targets also revealed Kalashnikov rifles, RPGs, explosive charges, military equipment, technological equipment, as well as intelligence documents of the terrorist organization Hamas.

The IDF and its commanders are solely responsible for the tragic killing of three hostages in Gaza by Israeli fire, IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi said in a Saturday evening address.

"The three hostages did everything possible to make us understand [who they were]," Halevi said. "We cannot shoot at those who raise white flags.

"However, the shooting occurred in a high-pressure fighting area," he added.

Halevi vows to minimize tragic incidents in Gaza war

Halevi said the killing of Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz is a "tragic and painful incident. There is nothing the IDF wants more than freeing hostages alive, we failed in this case," he added.

Halevi vowed that the Israeli military would do everything to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The IDF chief warned that the tragic incident could be followed by more incidents of hostages escaping captivity or being abandoned by their Hamas captives.

"We have the duty and the responsibility to bring them home alive," Halevi noted.

The IDF announced that Major General Yehezkel Azaria, 53, Petach Tikva, an armored fighter in the 129th Battalion, 8th Brigade, fell during operations on the northern border with Lebanon on Saturday.

He was killed in an operational activity in the Margaliot area.