The.

Breaking news, Israel accidentally killing three of its own hostages in Gaza. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Force is saying the three men, Yotamb Haim, Samir Talalka, and Alon, Shamriz, either managed to escape or had been abandoned by Hamas. They likely believed they were on their way to freedom. Then according to the IDF, they were confronted by Israeli forces. A moment that for them, maybe they thought, Oh, my gosh, finally. But the Israeli Defense Forces mistakenly viewed them as a threat, and they shot and killed them. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is calling this a quote, Unbearable tragedy. I want to go straight to Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, the IDF is taking full responsibility tonight. There's no ambiguity about what happened here. What more are you learning?

Well, tonight, Aaron, three Israeli civilians were being held hostage by Hamas since October seventh are dead, and they were killed by Israeli forces who believed that they were Palestinian militants, killed mistakenly as those soldiers appear to believe that these men were a threat. The three men are all in their 20s. 28-year-old Yotam Haim and 26-year-old Alon Simries were both from kibbutz Kfar-Aza. 25-year-old Samir Talaka, he was kidnapped from kibbutz Nair-am. All of them kidnapped by Hamas on October seventh. The Israeli military says that they were either on the run or that they were abandoned by their captors. And it's important to note that where they were killed has been the scene of very heavy fighting over the last week. The Shia neighborhood of Gaza City is one of Hamas's last remaining strongholds in Northern Georgia, and the Israeli military has been targeting them. Now, the Israeli Prime Minister for his part, called this an unbearable tragedy, and he said that the whole state of Israel is grieving. But tonight, Aaron, dozens of Israelis in Tel Aviv are also protesting, demanding that the Israeli Prime Minister reach a deal immediately to free the 100-plus remaining hostages still in Gaza.

It's a horrible, horrible tragedy. Well, the IDF, I know also under criticism tonight for their treatment of Palestinian men and even boys who've been identified by their relatives. They say they're civilians. These men, though, have been blifolded, stripped of their clothes. What can you tell us about your investigation and what's happening here, Jeremy?

Well, Aaron, we've watched over the last week and a half as images have surfaced on social media of dozens of Palestinian men and boys stripped, blindfolded, hands handcuffed behind their backs, detained by Israeli soldiers in Northern Gaza. We were actually able to get first-hand testimony from about 10 of those men and boys who were held by the Israeli military for five days. Here's the abuse and the mistreatment that they described.

Bruised, lacerated, and swollen. These are the hands of Nimer Abu-Ras, after he was detained for five days by Israeli forces.

These are from the plastic wires. We were handcuffed behind our backs.

His wounds are not unique in this corner of Gaza's Al Aqsa Martyr's Hospital. Here, six boys and four men, their hands numbered with red marker, were being treated hours after Israeli forces released them without charge. Mahmoud is just 14 years old.

This is from the boots.

He and his father were detained by Israeli soldiers in the Al-Zaytun neighborhood of Gaza City.

Where the.

Israeli military has been engaged in heavy.

Fighting with Hamas. They would tie your hands behind your back and drag you like a dog. Plastic handcuffs scars on your arms. Depending on the mood of one of them, they would come kick you with their boots. I didn't do anything to him. He just decided to come and kick me.

Mahmoud and his father are among hundreds of Palestinian boys and men, many of them identified by their relatives or employers as civilians who have been blindfolded, stripped, and detained in recent weeks.

They put us on the floor and put their feet on our heads. They would ask, Are you Hamas? And beat us. When we wanted to sleep, we couldn't because it was so cold. When we asked for something to wear or cover ourselves with, they would beat us.

The 10 boys and men who spoke to CNN described nearly identical accounts of abuse. Several said they were not allowed to go to the bathroom, made to sleep on grains of rice spread on the floor, and given little to no food or water.. A day after he arrived at the hospital, 40-year-old Mahmoud Islim can barely stand.

His relatives.

Say he is diabetic and had no access to insulin during his five-day detention.

All arrived.

Physically and psychologically exhausted. There were signs of torture on their arms and signs of beating all over.

Their bodies.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it was detaining individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity and that those who are found not to be taking part in terrorist activities are released. The IDF said the individuals detained are treated in accordance with international law and that it strives to treat any detainee with dignity. Any incident in which the guidelines were not followed will be looked into. A spokesman for the Israeli military declined to address specific allegations of mistreatment or provide an explanation for the detention of the 10 boys and men interviewed by CNN.

International law is quite clear that you can only detain civilians when absolutely necessary for imperative reasons of security. Whether the detention is of a civilian or combatant, the law protects those in detention and custody against degrading and humiliating treatment and outrages upon personal dignity.

For 14-year-old Ahmed, the trauma is not just physical.

I don't want to speak.

I'm.

Afraid.

I'm scared.

Of the Israelis. I don't want them to do something to us.

With his father's permission, he adds his story to the allegations of abuse.

And now the State Department has said that Israeli officials have committed to returning the clothing to these detainees as soon as they are strip-searched. But so many more questions still remain, Aaron, about the practice of detaining these large groups of men and boys in areas of Gaza, and also their treatment, as we heard from them firsthand. Aaron.

Absolutely. I've used to hear from so many young men and teens at Palestinians and the West Bank as well, these frustrations. Thank you very much, Jeremy. I want to go now to Israeli-American, Jonathan Dechel-Chen. His son, 35-year-old Sagi Dechel-Chen, is still being held in Gaza. Sagi is the father of two young children. Jonathan, I know you wait and wait, and every day is that agonizing wait. Then today, the IDF says that three Israeli hostages in Kaza were killed mistakenly by IDF forces, that it appears that they've either tried to escape or been abandoned by Hamas. But there they were, and they see the IDF, and surely they think that this is it. And then this horrific, horrific thing happens. I can't even imagine for you what your reaction could be when you heard this today and how terrified you must be that this could happen to your son if he tried to escape or something.

Well, that is certainly a thought that goes through my head, and surely every other person who has a loved one in Hamas, captivity. As far as this tragic incident today, it's tragedy upon tragedy. These three young men probably did think that they were on their way to freedom after 70 or so days of a living hell and having somehow survived the massacre on October seventh. It's also tragic because their families now will never see them again. They are victims of delayed, but victims of October seventh as well. And as an ex-soldier, as any old soldier would be able to say, I feel terrible for the soldiers themselves, the Israeli soldiers who clearly made of a fatal error, and they're going to have to live with that for the rest of their lives.

It is just so horrible. I know you had a chance, Jonathan, to meet with President Biden at the White House this week. We've got some images of that. I know that much of that conversation, of course, was private. It was you and other Americans, Israeli Americans who have family members who are held hostage by Hamas right now. But what can you share about that meeting?

Well, it was indeed a meeting. There were representatives from nine, actually, 10 of the American families who had, or most of them still have hostages being held by Hamas. We indeed met with President Biden and Secretary Blinkin for about two hours in the White House. It was really a reassuring experience. We went into it, having really been in contact since shortly after the October seventh attacks with representatives of the US government. And what we heard from the President and Secretary Blinkin and shortly thereafter from a CIA director, from CIA director, is a steadfast commitment to doing whatever the US government can do to get all of the hostages out, not just the remaining eight Americans. But of course, in the end, leaders in Israel and leaders of Hamas are going to have to, one way or another, agree to make this happen.

I know we all could just hope and pray that that does happen. And, of course, even in the face of this just a just horrible, horrible thing that happened today. Jonathan, thank you very much.

Thank you.