The mother of one of the three hostages mistakenly killed by the Israeli military said Wednesday that it wasn’t the soldiers’ “fault” and to not “hesitate” to go after terrorists, according to the Times of Israel.
Yotam, 28, was taken by Hamas during the attack on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Kfar Aza and was shot along with Alon Shamriz, and Samar Talalka, two other hostages, by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after being mistaken for a threat, according to the Times. Yotam’s mother, Iris Haim, sent a message to IDF troops letting them know neither she nor her family blames them and told them to “look after yourselves.” (RELATED: ‘Wait Where?’: Biden Has Another Senior Moment When Asked About Israeli Hostages)
“I know that everything that happened is absolutely not your fault, and nobody’s fault except that of Hamas, may their name be wiped out and their memory erased from the earth,” Haim said, according to the Times.
“And don’t hesitate for a second if you see a terrorist,” she continued. “Don’t think that you killed a hostage deliberately. You have to look after yourselves because only that way can you look after us.”
There are no words to describe the strength of Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam who was held hostage by Hamas and was tragically killed by IDF soldiers in a horrific accident.
Iris addressed the battalion involved in the tragic incident in which her son was killed:
“Hello to… pic.twitter.com/9UNeCZQqTv
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) December 21, 2023
Haim told the soldiers to come to visit “at the first opportunity” so that she could “hug” them and “tell you that what you did — however hard it is to say this, and sad — it was apparently the right thing in that moment.”
“And nobody’s going to judge you or be angry,” she said. “Not me, and not my husband Raviv. Not my daughter Noya. And not Yotam, may his memory be blessed. And not Tuval, Yotam’s brother. We love you very much. And that is all.”
The IDF is investigating the shooting, saying earlier this month that the soldiers had breached their military’s rules of engagement. The hostages had reportedly exited a building without shirts on and raised a stick with white cloth in the air.
Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, revealed Wednesday that the IDF had been near the area where the hostages had been located five days before the deadly shooting, according to The New York Times. Go-Pro footage from a combat dog killed in the area contained audio of the three men speaking, but was not reviewed by the military until after the incident.
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