Israeli soldiers patrol an area along the border with the northern Gaza Strip on Dec 15, 2023 amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM - Spokesperson of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Daniel Hagari announced on Friday night that during battles in northern Gaza in the morning, Israeli troops mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat and killed them.

In his daily briefing about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Hagari named the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was abducted by Hamas from kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Samar Talalka, who was abducted from kibbutz Nir Am. The third hostage was not named following requests by their family.

In response to an inquiry regarding how the hostages were able to escape Hamas captivity, Hagari said the military believed that the three fled or were abandoned by the Hamas militants who held them captive

"After the shooting, an immediate suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead, and their bodies were quickly transferred for examination in Israel, where the hostages were identified," he said.

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"This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened," he added.

In response to an inquiry regarding how the hostages were able to escape Hamas captivity, Hagari said the military believed that the three fled or were abandoned by the Hamas militants who held them captive.

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He explained that in some cases, there were suicide bombers and attacks in which the Palestinian militants "tried to lure our forces and draw them into an ambush."

"The IDF expresses deep sorrow for the disaster and shares in the grief of the families," the spokesperson added.

Reopening of crossing to Gaza

Israel has approved the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israel's Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday.

As part of the hostage release agreement, Israel committed to transfer 200 truckloads per day of food and humanitarian aid from Egypt for the civilian population in Gaza, read the statement, noting the Rafah crossing has the capacity for only 100 trucks a day, with the Israeli security screening taking place at the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Until Friday, these trucks were required to return to the Rafah crossing, "causing heavy congestion and preventing the implementation of the agreement between Israel and the United States," according to the statement.

To abide by the terms of the agreement, the Israeli cabinet approved on Friday "a temporary measure" of unloading the trucks on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, instead of having them return to Rafah crossing, it added.

The statement stressed that the cabinet's decision determines that only humanitarian aid arriving from Egypt will be transferred into the Gaza Strip this way.

According to the statement, "the United States has committed to pay for the upgrade of the Rafah crossing as soon as possible to enable the transfer of humanitarian aid only via Rafah crossing after passing Israeli security screening."