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.

The United States agrees with Israel that its ongoing war against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza "could go on for months," but Washington was discussing about more surgical operations in scope and scale, the White House said.

"We agree with the Israelis that this conflict could go on for months," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday.

IDF troops killed three hostages taken by Hamas after mistaking them for terrorists during operational activity in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaia, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday evening.

The three victims include Yotam Haim, who was abducted from Kfar Aza, Samer Talalka who was abducted from Nir Am, and Alon Shamriz, all of whom were kidnapped on October 7.

During fighting in Shejaiya, Gaza, an IDF force mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. They opened fired and killed them.

The bodies were returned to Israel and identified as:
🕯️ Yotam Haim, abducted from Kfar Gaza
🕯️ Samar Fouad Talalka, abducted from Nir Am… pic.twitter.com/Cx6KbGw7RH

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) December 15, 2023

Identifying the bodies

The IDF said that following the incident, acting on a suspicion of the identities of the deceased, their bodies were brought back to Israel for examination where it was determined they had, indeed, been among the hostages.

Gaza hostage Yotam Haim (left) (credit: VIA MAARIV ONLINE)

The IDF added that an investigation was immediately opened into the circumstances of the event. So far, the details regarding what happened have not yet been discussed with the public.

Minister Benny Gantz offered condolences to the grieving families, writing on Friday night that he was "heartbroken upon hearing the news.

"Our troops are carrying out deeply complicated operations, the most important this country has known," he wrote on X. "The pain that follows this war, is now heavier than ever."

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also expressed its sorrow at the loss of the three hostages killed.

According to the forum, Talalka, 25, had been the eldest of 10 children and was reportedly wounded by Hamas gunfire when he was initially kidnapped in early October.

The forum added that Haim, a life-long drummer, had been in his home during Hamas's attack on southern Israel when the terrorists set it on fire. After he opened the window in order to breathe and escape the smoke, he was abducted.

Netanyahu grieves the hostages

"Together with all of Israel, I mourn and deeply lament the loss of three dear sons who were abducted, among them Yotam Haim and Samar Fuad al-Talalka," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday evening. "This is an unbearable tragedy. The entire State of Israel is grieving tonight. My heart is with the anguished families in this difficult time."

The prime minister went on to reiterate that he stands by the soldiers of the IDF as they risk their lives during their work to rescue the hostages in Gaza.

"Even on this difficult evening, we will bandage our wounds, draw lessons, and continue our supreme effort to bring all our captives home safely," he added

This is a developing story.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

The UN refugee chief on Friday said that a new refugee crisis from Gaza must be prevented, referring to the possibility that hundreds of thousands of people already uprooted by the Israel-Hamas conflict could flee into Egypt.

"Many more (people) have been displaced into an already impoverished corner of an already tiny sliver of land. That violence must stop," Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in closing remarks at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.

"I want to be clear: what is already a massive displacement crisis within Gaza must not turn into yet another refugee crisis," he said.

Soldiers from the IDF’s Maglan unit, along with Shin Bet personnel, battled Hamas terrorists in the Khan Yunis neighborhood where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was raised and lived in recent years, the IDF said on Friday.

In one of the engagements, the Shin Bet and IDF troops conducted their efforts on the ruins of one of the houses where Sinwar lived in the past few years, the IDF reported.

The structure had been demolished by an IDF airstrike shortly after the start of the war.

Over the course of the fighting, the Israeli soldiers eliminated numerous Hamas terrorists, the IDF added. Additionally, the IDF and Shin Bet personnel located a long-range artillery barrel as well as a number of shafts, one of which contained weapons.

Further, the Israeli security forces found weapons and intelligence materials during a raid on the home of the head of the northern Khan Yunis Brigade’s rocket array.

IDF and Shin Bet forces operate in Khan Yunis neighborhood where Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, lived in recent years. December 15, 2023. (credit: IDF)

Terrorists emerge from tunnel with RPG

During the fighting that took place in the area, the Israeli troops identified a terrorist squad emerging from a nearby tunnel.

One of the terrorists wielded an RPG and took aim at the Israeli personnel. The IDF and Shin Bet quickly eliminated the terrorist, along with the rest of the squad, before the RPG could be fired.