The IDF reported Thursday morning that five soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade were killed by friendly fire in Jabaliya in the north of the Gaza Strip. These losses bring the number of fallen IDF fighters since the beginning of the war to 626.
The incident took place Wednesday evening, when two IDF tanks, for an unknown reason, fired two shells at a building in the north of Gaza City that was used by the battalion commander and his deputy. Thirteen more soldiers were injured in the incident, and the IDF is investigating why the shells were fired and if the soldiers were mistakenly identified as armed terrorists.
On Wednesday morning, fighters from the 202nd Battalion entered the Jabaliya “refugee” camp to take up a position, accompanied by a pair of tanks from the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. The fighters took up residence in a building next to the tanks where the deputy commander’s headquarters was also established. The tanks secured the axis, and at one point spoke on the wireless with the deputy commander who passed by them.
Around 7 PM the tanks’ crews spotted a barrel sticking out of the window of the building and fired two shells at the building where the paratroopers were staying on the first floor. Five fighters were killed:
Roy Beit Ya’akov, 22, a resident of Eli in Samaria, was a graduate of the Bnei David pre-military training school in the settlement which has recently been attacked viciously by former defense minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon.
Gilad Aryeh Boim, 22, was a resident of Karnei Shomron in Samaria.
Daniel Chemu, 20, was a resident of Tveria.
Ilan Cohen, 20, was a resident of Karmiel upper Galilee.
Betzlel David Shashuah, 21, was a resident of Tel Aviv.
In another incident in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, two soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade were injured by an RPG hit in a Tiger armored vehicle in which they were staying.
