IAF fighter jet accidentally drops bomb near Israeli border community; none hurt
Munition explodes on impact, causing large crater in open area of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak; IDF says it was result of ‘technical malfunction,’ will investigate further
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Israeli Air Force fighter jet dropped a munition in an open area near the Gaza border community of Nir Yitzhak on Tuesday evening.
The military said the incident took place during an attempted airstrike in the Strip, and was the result of a technical malfunction.
It said further details were under investigation.
The bomb exploded upon impact, with locals reporting that they heard a large blast. There were no casualties. The blast created a large crater in a field.
According to reports, the bomb fell on the western side of the kibbutz, far from the residential area of the community.
In a statement, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak said it was in “continuous contact with military officials and expects a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident.”
תיעוד ממקום פגיעת הפצצה הצה"לית סמוך לקיבוץ ניר יצחק@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/jXkzvQSecS
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 16, 2025
This is not the first case of an IDF jet mistakenly dropping a munition on or near a Gaza border community, with one such incident taking place in May of last year, when a fighter jet accidentally dropped a half-ton bomb near a road in Moshav Yated. However, in that incident the bomb did not explode and was safely collected by Israeli forces.
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