Liberty University grieves Israeli hostages mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza

Liberty University expressed condolences to the family of 26-year-old Alon Shamriz, one of three Israeli hostages the Israel Defense Forces accidentally killed after the troops mistakenly identified them as a threat. 

Hamas kidnapped Shamriz and the two other hostages, Yotam Haim, 28, and Samar Fouad Talalka, 24, during the terror group’s surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7 that killed at least 1,200 people, a majority of them civilians. The terrorists also seized around 240 individuals as hostages, and so far, over 100 hostages have been released since the attack in October. 

On Wednesday, Liberty University, a prominent Evangelical university in Virginia founded by Jerry Falwell Sr., released a statement about the death of Shamriz and the two other hostages, highlighting a special Nov. 8 convocation it hosted with Yonatan and Ido Shamriz, Alon Shamriz’s brothers, to pray for Israel.

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Liberty University President Dondi Costin concluded the event by leading everyone in prayer.

“Words are inadequate to comfort these grieving families whose hearts have been broken by this unimaginable tragedy. We love the Shamriz family and plead for God to comfort them as they mourn the loss of their brother Alon,” Costin said. 

“I ask the Liberty University community to do what Champions for Christ always do in times like these by praying for this dear family and all who have suffered loss stemming from the unspeakable events of Oct. 7,” he continued. 

As The Times of Israel reported, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli military bears full responsibility for the “tragic incident” that took place last Friday “in an area where the soldiers encountered many terrorists, including suicide bombers.”

Following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Israel launched airstrikes and a military campaign in Gaza to eradicate Hamas, a terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, and release the hostages. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began over two months ago. 

The terrorists abducted Shamriz and Haim from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, while the third hostage, Talalka, was taken from Nir Am. 

IDF soldiers mistakenly shot the three hostages in Shejaiya, a northern Gaza neighborhood that is considered a key Hamas stronghold and has been the site of heavy fighting in recent days, according to The Times of Israel. 

Regarding how the three hostages escaped from Hamas, Hagari said that the military believes that “the three fled or were abandoned by the terrorists who held them captive.” 

The outlet reported Sunday on the funeral Shamriz’s family held for him, where his brothers Ido and Yonatan each delivered a eulogy. Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Yesh Atid MK Debbie Bitton were also in attendance at the funeral. 

“This time, too, you fled against all odds, and you did what you had to do in order to come home,” Ido said during his eulogy. “My poor brother, what did you go through in those moments when you had already seen the light, and it turned into darkness? The one who abandoned you also murdered you after you did everything right. Everything we did was for you, and now it will all be for your memory.”

“My brother, I am sorry we didn’t do enough,” he continued. “I’m sorry we didn’t manage. … My brother, give me a little bit of your wisdom to know how to move forward. Give me some of your strength because I have none left.

Yonatan also blamed the Israeli military and Hamas for the death of his brother, promising that Shamriz’s name would be a symbol of bravery and revolution. He said that Shamriz did not die in vain, declaring, “We will get up, and we will shake the country.”

“We will not forget and we will not forgive those who betrayed us on the 7th [of October], the government which brought disaster on us. We will chase those responsible, and they will be sorry,” he added.