After the Israeli army confirmed on the 15th that three Israeli detainees had been killed by mistake in the Gaza Strip, public opinion was in an uproar, and more details about the matter have surfaced.
On the 17th, the funeral of Aaron Shamriz, one of the three people who were killed by mistake, was held in southern Israel.
Aaron Shamritz's relatives: You deserve to be with us, to be alive together. Tell us what you've been through and answer questions we can't get answers to.
On the same day, the IDF released photographs showing the wrongfully killed people posting signs in Hebrew with the slogans "Help, 3 detainees" and "SOS" for urgent distress.
The IDF manslaughter occurred on the 15th in the Shah Jayye district of Gaza City. According to the preliminary findings released by the Israeli army, Israeli soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with Palestinian militants when they suddenly found three topless men walking out, armed with wooden sticks wrapped in white cloth. Israeli soldiers determined that the three were Pakistani armed men and opened fire, killing two and wounding another before fleeing back into the building. The wounded man came out again shortly afterwards, shouting "help" in Hebrew, and although a commander ordered a halt to the shooting, it did not stop "another burst of gunfire" and the man was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. The Israeli army then raised suspicions about the identities of the three deceased during the autopsy process, which eventually confirmed that they were Israelis in custody.
The Israeli army called the manslaughter incident a "tragic mistake" and netizens did not buy it
In an interview with CBS on 16 July, an IDF official defended that the incident of "manslaughter of detainees" took place in a fierce fighting zone, and that there were "ambushes and plots" by Hamas everywhere, and it was impossible to prevent it.
IDF Chief of Staff Al-Khalwi said in a speech on the evening of the 16th that the Israeli army was fully responsible for the accidental killing of three people. "This is a tragic mistake" that violates the Israeli army's rules of engagement, Halewi said.
As for the statement of the Israeli government and military, netizens did not buy it. Some netizens sarcastically said, "The Israeli army actually shot at Israeli citizens - so we can guess how 'cautious' they can be when dealing with Palestinian civilians." ”
Some netizens asked rhetorically, "If they (the Israelis who were killed by mistake) are Palestinians with white flags in their hands, isn't that a mistake?"
Some netizens bluntly said, "The IDF has just admitted that they will shoot any Palestinian civilian, even if they are unarmed and holding a white flag." Instead of killing Israeli detainees by mistake, they deliberately shot Palestinian civilians in what they saw. ”
The manslaughter incident has put the Israeli government under tremendous pressure from public opinion
As more details of the Israeli army's manslaughter of the detained Israelis were revealed, demonstrations broke out in Tel Aviv and other places this past weekend, demanding the swift and safe rescue of other detained Israeli personnel. The Israeli government is also facing tremendous pressure from public opinion.
Israeli people: Take them (the detainees) home now!
Israelis: I don't understand how a man who walks shirtless with a white flag in his hand can be shot and killed by the [Israeli] army.
Zhu Yunxiang: After the Israeli army confirmed the accidental killing of three Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip, public opinion has been in an uproar. As the details of the incident came to light, criticism grew in Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not take urgent action to rescue the detainees, and some demanded Netanyahu's resignation.
Israeli people: End this war and let all detainees go home.
The families of the detainees also expressed their hope that the Israeli government and Hamas would reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.
Sharon Calderón, a relative of Israeli detainees: We don't want to see body bags, we want them to live. That's why we're here every day until we hear the government say they've sat down to negotiate.
On the 18th, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel for a visit and will hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. According to CNN, the US Secretary of Defense may pressure Israeli officials during his visit to clarify the timetable for military operations in the Gaza Strip.
(CCTV News Client)