Israel says it's still investigating what led to its forces killing three hostages last week.
The incident took place in Gaza's Shijaiyah neighborhood, which is a densely urban area that the IDF has been active in for the past few weeks.
The three hostages approached an IDF position in the neighborhood while attempting to find safety.
Unfortunately, an IDF soldier opened fire on them, killing two of them while the third one fled into a building. After hearing that third one say "help" in Hebrew, the commander of the IDF's positions there said to stop firing. But when the third person came into the open, another soldier shot and killed him.
This was after the IDF passed a building nearby with two banners on it. Messages written in old food read "SOS" and "HELP — 3 HOSTAGES."
The IDF left that building alone because they thought it was a Hamas trap, but an investigation showed that the building was apparently linked to the three hostages who were killed.
US expected to press Israel for a more targeted approach in Gaza
France, the U.K. and Germany — some of Israel's closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend.
The killings have increased pressure on Israel to do something about the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza, including from U.S. President Joe Biden.
"I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives," President Biden said recently. "Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful."
The IDF has said that they take full responsibility for the killings and have told their soldiers to exercise additional caution when dealing with people in civilian clothes in the area.
