Tal Heinrich to Newsmax: Hostage Deaths a 'Tragic Incident'

The deaths of three Israeli hostages, who were shot and killed Friday by Israel Defense Forces troops who erroneously identified them as a threat, resulted from a "tragic incident" that happened in a "very difficult atmosphere," Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich told Newsmax, Sunday.

"It really seems that these three brave hostages tried to do almost everything possible in order not to appear as a threat to our forces; and nevertheless, our troops on the ground mistakenly misidentified them and shot at them," she told Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda." "So it's a huge tragedy, and we're all embracing these families. Our hearts go out to them; and it's a very, very tragic moment for us as a nation."

The shootings took place in a Gaza City neighborhood where there have been many encounters with terrorists, and which is filled with traps and ambushes, Heinrich added.

"It's a very difficult battle scenery. And just before that incident, and after that incident, our troops had encounters there," she said. "Just a few days ago, we lost nine of our best sons on the ground. They're encountering terrorists."

And sometimes the terrorists will wear civilian clothing, "which is a war crime, another one to Hamas' list of war crimes, and they're trying to lure in our forces, sometimes by shouting in Hebrew or playing sounds in Hebrew, sometimes of children's voices. This is how sick they are," said Heinrich.

Israel, meanwhile, still wants to see all of its hostages returned, she added.

"As the IDF informed many of these families, I think around 20 families, that their loved ones were killed by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, we want to see everyone out of there," said Heinrich.

But still, she said the ground operation has to continue "because these two goals that we have set to bring back all hostages home and to eliminate the Hamas terrorist regime, they go hand in hand."

The only reason some hostages have been freed is because the "IDF is hitting the terrorists hard on the ground," said Heinrich.

"We hope to create the conditions to bring to the release of more hostages, and we will not stop," she said. "We will continue to pursue every avenue to bring everyone home."

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