Friendly fire claims lives of 5 Israeli soldiers, IDF calls it 'accident'

While several Israeli soldiers continue to die in crossfire with Hamas in the 7-month-old war, the IDF on Thursday announced that five fighters lost their lives in a friendly fire in Gaza’s Jabaliya.

Meanwhile, seven soldiers have also been injured in the incident. The police say that they have “located” the driver who hit the soldiers, adding that the case is likely an “accident” while the Israel Defence Forces investigate the matter.

Who were the soldiers?

The soldiers who lost their lives in the friendly fire have been identified as Captain Roy Beit Yaakov, Staff Sgt. Gilad Arye Boim, Sgt. Daniel Chemu, Sgt. Ilan Cohen and Staff Sgt. Betzlel David Shashuah.

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All the soldiers were members of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion.

How did they die?

An initial probe has revealed that an operating tank fired two shells at a building in Jabaliya where the soldiers were stationed during the evening.

The tank forces had reached the area early on Wednesday following which the paratroopers married and established a post in the building. Later during the day, another set of paratroopers arrived in Jabaliya after which they notified the existing tanks of their arrival.

The tank forces had reportedly identified a gun barrel and thought it belonged to the enemy forces leading them to fire two shells.

First soldier killed in Rafah

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Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed in Rafah on Wednesday, making it the first army casualty in the southern Gaza Strip ever since Tel Aviv pushed its forces into the region.

Sgt. Ira Yair Gispan, 19, served in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion.

Parents of Israeli soldiers urge IDF to call off Rafah offensive

Parents of over 900 Israeli soldiers have signed a letter to the IDF urging it to call off its offensive in Rafah and called the military operation a “death trap” for their children.

“It is evident to anyone with common sense that after months of warnings and announcements regarding an incursion into Rafah, there are forces on the other side actively preparing to strike our troops,” the letter said.