Israeli soldier shot hostages in 'error', army says

An Israeli soldier mistakenly killed hostages who had escaped from Hamas on 15 December, Israel's army says, despite one of them apparently waving a white flag.

"He was mistaken, he shot by error," Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari tells a briefing.

About 250 people were taken hostage during Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israel, which left around 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel then launched a massive military offensive against the Palestinian Islamist movement that has killed at least 21,320 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.