In a grave error near the city of Ashkelon, Israeli police shot and killed a man they wrongly believed to be a Hamas fighter. The man was driving on Highway 4 and did not heed police commands, leading to a pursuit.
The man abruptly left the road and started running on foot towards an open field. Police, assuming he was a Palestinian fighter, opened fire.
It was later revealed that he was actually a refugee from the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Both "Times of Israel" and news services Ynet and Channel 12 have confirmed this tragic mistake.
It remains unclear why the man fled from the police and did not respond to their commands. His nervous reaction led authorities to take the situation very seriously, resulting in the tragic incident.
This is not the first time such a mistake has occurred.
Authorities reported that a resident of Sderot was shot by Israeli forces after he refused to stop his off-road vehicle. The injured individual was taken to the hospital.
This error comes in the wake of a series of attacks from Hamas, leading Israeli authorities to declare martial law. Fighting is ongoing, and the Palestinians are putting up strong resistance.
