The IDF examined the footage from a go-pro camera on the neck of a dog who was killed in clashes in Shejaya, revealing new details about the tragedy in which three hostages were mistaken for terrorists and killed by the IDF.
The investigation revealed that on December 10, a dog entered a building to search it, after exchanges of fire took place between armed terrorists and IDF soldiers. The camera captured footage of one or two terrorists' corpses.
Alon Shamriz, one of the hostages, had previously fought in the Yahalom Unit, and knew how the dogs operate. He yelled towards the dog's camera, "There are hostages here!" At this stage, it is not known if this footage was broadcast directly to the forces.
The dog whose camera captured the footage of the hostages was killed by the terrorists, and it took a few days before the IDF was able to reach its corpse and collect the camera on it. Only after the hostages had already been shot, five days after the footage was recorded, did the forces know for certain that the recordings were indeed of hostages.
Golani soldiers also verified that they heard cries in Hebrew from the building, but said that they thought it was an attempt by terrorists to draw the forces into a death trap.
It also became clear that the hostages walked about a kilometer away from the scene where the footage was captured, after the terrorists they were with apparently died. It was also discovered that the place where they hung the SOS sign was close to the place where they were killed.
Soldiers testified that the hostages wore Adidas leggings and had long beards - something which caused the forces to think they were terrorists.
The IDF also said that there is no footage of the hostages in the film captured from the dog's camera - only their voices were heard.