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The disastrous incident in which Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops shot dead three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Friday, mistaking them for Hamas fighters despite their waving a white cloth, is a graphic illustration of the risks involved in armed hostage rescue.
Maj Gen Charlie Herbert, a retired British Army general who served on 13 operational tours including Iraq and Afghanistan, told the BBC: "As desperately sad as it is, the shooting dead of the three hostages... again calls into question IDF tactics, proportionality and distinction. One can only imagine how many civilians have been killed in similar circumstances."
The IDF says it takes great care to avoid harming civilians, but the horrific death toll in Gaza - more than 18,000 and rising - has caused Israel to be accused of indiscriminate bombing.
In nearly every case of kidnap in history, those abducted stand a far better chance of emerging alive and unscathed through mediation and a deal, rather than by armed intervention.
One of the first hostage cases I covered was when Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Yemen abducted 16 Western tourists in 1998. The British ambassador went to see the interior minister to press for a negotiated release of the hostages. Too late, he was told, the Yemeni army has already gone in. A quarter of those kidnapped were killed in the ensuing firefight, with others injured.
Maj Gen Charlie Herbert, a retired British Army general who served on 13 operational tours including Iraq and Afghanistan, told the BBC: "As desperately sad as it is, the shooting dead of the three hostages... again calls into question IDF tactics, proportionality and distinction. One can only imagine how many civilians have been killed in similar circumstances."
The IDF says it takes great care to avoid harming civilians, but the horrific death toll in Gaza - more than 18,000 and rising - has caused Israel to be accused of indiscriminate bombing.
In nearly every case of kidnap in history, those abducted stand a far better chance of emerging alive and unscathed through mediation and a deal, rather than by armed intervention.
One of the first hostage cases I covered was when Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Yemen abducted 16 Western tourists in 1998. The British ambassador went to see the interior minister to press for a negotiated release of the hostages. Too late, he was told, the Yemeni army has already gone in. A quarter of those kidnapped were killed in the ensuing firefight, with others injured.
Israel Gaza: The perils of hostage rescue
Posted from bbc.com
Israel
Palestine
Posted 5 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Today, Israel's hostage relatives are all too aware that nearly all those already released won their freedom not by daring military action but by painstaking negotiations and mediation by Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States. To date, only one Israeli hostage, Private Ori Megedish, has been rescued by force.
But doing a deal with kidnappers, especially those considered by many governments to be terrorists, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Hostage-takers will demand something in return.
In the case of Hamas, that has meant releasing large numbers of prisoners from Israeli jails, pausing the fighting and significantly increasing the amount of aid getting into Gaza.
Yet any further successful return of the hostages, says Gen Herbert, can only come about through diplomatic means: "There is no effective military solution to this issue in Gaza."
..."Today, Israel's hostage relatives are all too aware that nearly all those already released won their freedom not by daring military action but by painstaking negotiations and mediation by Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States. To date, only one Israeli hostage, Private Ori Megedish, has been rescued by force.
But doing a deal with kidnappers, especially those considered by many governments to be terrorists, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Hostage-takers will demand something in return.
In the case of Hamas, that has meant releasing large numbers of prisoners from Israeli jails, pausing the fighting and significantly increasing the amount of aid getting into Gaza.
Yet any further successful return of the hostages, says Gen Herbert, can only come about through diplomatic means: "There is no effective military solution to this issue in Gaza."
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They were shirtless and waving white flags. Were their killings due to the fog of war or perhaps poor command and control?
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