Gaza – Israel's army said it was investigating the accidental killing by troops of three hostages in Gaza, as it pressed its offensive against Hamas in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and taking an estimated 250 hostages, of whom 105 have been released and several killed, according to Israeli figures.

Aiming to eliminate Hamas, Israel launched its retaliatory offensive in Gaza that has killed 18,800 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory's Hamas government.

On day 71 of the war, below are five key developments from the past 24 hours.

Israeli troops accidentally kill hostages waving a white flag

The three hostages killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza were shot even as they carried a white flag and cried for help in Hebrew, an army official said.

The army said earlier it was investigating after its troops killed the hostages: Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer El-Talalqa.

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"They're all without shirts and they have a stick with a white cloth on it," an army official briefing journalists said, asking not to be named. A soldier saw them and "feels threatened and opens fire", the official said.

Protests in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of Israelis are expected to take to the streets of Tel Aviv for a second night on Saturday to call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure the release of 129 hostages still held in the Hamas-ruled Gaza.

"The only way to release the hostages alive is by negotiation. Fighting is good, but you can fight after that," said one protester at a rally in the city on Friday night.

Funeral for Al Jazeera journalist held in Gaza

Dozens of journalists took part in a funeral for an Al Jazeera cameraman killed in an Israeli strike in south Gaza. Samer Abu Daqqa, born in 1978, was reporting from a school in Khan Yunis when he was hit by a drone strike on Friday, said the Qatar-based channel. His colleague, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh, was wounded.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 64 journalists and media staff have now been killed in the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel reopens aid crossing

Israel approved a "temporary measure" allowing aid to be delivered directly to Gaza through its Kerem Shalom border crossing, the prime minister's office said, after weeks of pressure. Before the reopening, all aid entering the Palestinian territory had to pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt.

The United Nations has said the amount of aid reaching Gaza has been well below the 500 truckloads a day that entered prior to October 7. A UN official said hunger and desperation were driving people to seize the limited aid that is arriving.

British navy downs Red Sea drone

A UK destroyer brought down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea overnight, the country's defense minister Grant Shapps said.

HMS Diamond, which shot down the drone, was deployed to the Red Sea amid attacks on shipping by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The Huthis have said they are targeting shipping to put pressure on Israel.

On Friday, two of the world's largest shipping firms, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, said they were suspending passage through the Red Sea due to the attacks.