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Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip during a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, in this handout picture released on November 28, 2023. (Photo via Reuters)

The three Israeli prisoners shot and killed by the regime forces in the north of the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday had been holding up a white flag, according to a military official.

The unnamed Israeli military official, citing an initial inquiry into the incident, said the three prisoners were within "tens of meters" of Israeli positions in Shejaiya, and one of the regime’s soldiers thought they were members of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas trying to lure them into a trap.

"They’re all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it. The soldier feels threatened and opens fire. He declares that they’re terrorists. They (the Israeli forces) open fire. Two are killed immediately," the official said.

The official added that the third one was seriously wounded and retreated into a nearby building, calling for help in Hebrew.

The local Israeli commander was reported to have issued a ceasefire order but the soldiers did not obey.

"Immediately the battalion commander issues a ceasefire order, but again there’s another burst of fire towards the third figure and he also dies," the official said. "This was against our rules of engagement."

The Israeli military identified the three prisoners as Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer Al-Talalka.

After Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Strom into the occupied territories on October 7, it captured more than 240 Israeli soldiers and settlers as prisoners of war.

In late November, a short-lived 7-day truce saw more than 100 Israeli prisoners freed in exchange for Palestinians held illegally in Israeli jails and also allowed the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza after weeks of Israeli aggression plunged the besieged territory into a humanitarian catastrophe.

However, since the truce collapsed and the fighting resumed on December 1, Hamas has repeatedly said the only way for the resistance movement to release the rest of the Israeli prisoners was for the regime to stop its aggression on Gaza and free Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

On Saturday, Hundreds of Israelis swarmed the streets in Tel Aviv to call on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet to secure the release of the remaining prisoners still being held in Gaza.

Hamas: Israel ‘gambling’ with lives of forces in captivity

Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said the Israeli regime "deliberately" kills its prisoners in Gaza in a desperate attempt to lift the burden of the issue of its prisoners held by Hamas.

"The occupation is still gambling with the lives of its captured soldiers, not caring about the feelings of their families," Abu Ubaida said. "Yesterday, it deliberately executed three of them."

The spokesman added that the occupation "preferred to kill its prisoners rather than liberate them, which is the same blatant criminal behavior that it has practiced and continues to practice against its prisoners in Gaza, in a desperate attempt to get rid of the burden of this file and its entitlements."

Since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, the Tel Aviv regime has killed some 19,000 Palestinians and injured more than 50,000 others.