On Wednesday, a friendly fire incident occurred in Jabalya, involving two IDF tanks firing on a forward IDF battalion headquarters, resulting in casualties.
(photo credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY, IDF)
Two IDF tanks killed five IDF soldiers and wounded seven more in a friendly fire incident on Wednesday when they fired on a forward IDF battalion headquarters in Jabalya in northern Gaza. The IDF cleared for publication on Thursday.
The tanks were said to be under extreme pressure from dozens of rocket-propelled grenade attacks in the area.
All openings to the tanks, including the canopy on the top, were ordered to be kept closed to avoid any hole or vulnerability to the RPG attacks.
This, in turn, limited the tank’s visibility.
IDF tank incident
Tank Unit 202 is a Haredi-integrated unit, and the soldiers said that they saw a potential threat emerge from the battalion headquarters, which was only 10-20 meters away from them.
It was unclear why they did not recognize the battalion headquarters. However, the IDF said that the tanks had taken over the junction in Jabalya around 9:00 am and that the Battalion headquarters deputy commander had only arrived many hours later.
The incident itself took place in the early evening on Wednesday.
Names of the five soldiers killed
The IDF released on Thursday the names of the five soldiers who were killed in the friendly fire attack in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday:
Sergeant Roy Beit Yaakov, 22, from Eli, was a combat officer in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.
Sergeant Daniel Chemu, 20, from Tiberias, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.
Sergeant Ilan Cohen, 20, from Karmiel, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.
Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim, 22, from Karnei Shomron, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.
Staff Sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah, 21, from Tel Aviv, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post