IDF probe finds Egoz soldier killed during Jenin operation was shot by friendly fire
Investigation says other commando forces misidentified Sgt. First Class David Yehuda Yitzhak during withdrawal from West Bank refugee camp last month
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday published the findings of a probe into the death of a soldier from the elite Egoz commando unit at the tail end of a major operation in the West Bank city of Jenin last month, confirming that Sgt. First Class David Yehuda Yitzhak had been fatally shot by so-called friendly fire.
Yitzhak, 23, a non-commissioned officer, was shot while securing the beginning of the military’s withdrawal from Jenin, in a tight alleyway in the city’s refugee camp.
According to the IDF’s probe, Yitzhak was shot by other Israeli commandos in the area, due to a misidentification.
The shooting occurred amid an exchange of fire between the IDF and Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin Refugee Camp, as the troops were withdrawing at the end of the operation. “A force identified a suspicious figure and suspicious movements in one of the buildings, and fired at it,” the military said, adding that Yitzhak was fatally hit by the gunfire.
The IDF’s probe revealed “gaps” in the way the forces were positioned during the withdrawal from the refugee camp,” the military said.
After viewing the findings of the probe, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the fatal accident was “a difficult and unfortunate incident, where we lost an IDF soldier during operational activity under fire.”
“Egoz, together with the commando units, operated in the Jenin Refugee Camp in a brave and admirable manner, leading to operational successes and expanding the IDF’s freedom of action. Along with this, we will draw the necessary conclusions, and implement them in the combat units,” Halevi said in remarks published by the IDF.
Senior officers also presented the probe to Yitzhak’s family.
The IDF said various disciplinary measures were taken against officers in the Oz Brigade, also known as the Commando Brigade, of which Egoz is part.
A company commander was formally censured; a squad commander was dismissed from his position; and another squad commander, who had already been released from the military, would not be allowed to command the squad in reserves for a limited period, after which the military would assess his continued service.
Additionally, a sergeant in the squad would no longer be allowed to serve in command roles.
Egoz has a recent history of friendly fire incidents. A lieutenant shot and killed Maj. Ofek Aharon, 28, and Maj. Itamar Elharar, 26, to death due to a misidentification on January 12, 2022, in a case that shook the unit.
The major two-day incursion in July targeted a local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, as well as other smaller armed groups in the city and refugee camp.
During the campaign, involving over 1,000 ground troops and the air force, the IDF said forces located and demolished at least eight weapon storage sites, six explosives labs with hundreds of primed devices, three war rooms used by Palestinian gunmen to observe Israeli forces, and other “terror infrastructure.”
Palestinian health officials said 12 people were killed and at least 100 were wounded during Israeli airstrikes and in clashes with Israeli forces between July 3 and 5.
