“Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the fall of three of our dear sons who were taken hostage,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

New Delhi: Three Israeli hostages were killed in firing by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the military on Saturday. The IDF said it assumed the hostages were “a threat” and fired at them during combat in Gaza’s Shejaiya district. The Israeli Defence Forces said the victims, all three Israeli men in their 20s, were killed during combat with Hamas militants. The victims were identified as Samer Talalka, 22, Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shamriz, 26.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called their deaths an “unbearable tragedy” and vowed to continue “with a supreme effort to return all the hostages home safely”. “Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the fall of three of our dear sons who were taken hostage,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

“The entire State of Israel mourns this evening,” he said, adding that “necessary lessons” will be learned.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also mourned and described the killings as “painful for every Israeli.” “We must remain resilient and continue operating — for the hostages, for our citizens and for our soldiers,” he said.

Meanwhile, family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza rallied Friday near the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv after the announcement of the killings.

Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli soldiers “mistakenly” killed three hostages during fighting in Gaza. He described it as “tragic” and said the army “bears responsibility.”

The Hamas group has yet to comment on the announcement.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. At least 18,800 Palestinians have since been killed and 51,000 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.

Hamas abducted more than 240 people in their attack on 7 October which triggered the war. More than 100 hostages still remain captive, according to Israeli authorities.