Israeli contractor mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza, army says

Excavator operator Jacob Avitan, 39, misidentified as threat as he arrived at IDF post in civilian clothing; Military Police launches investigation

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Jacob Avitan, a Defense Ministry contractor killed in Gaza on January 28, 2025. (Courtesy)
Jacob Avitan, a Defense Ministry contractor killed in Gaza on January 28, 2025. (Courtesy)

A civilian Defense Ministry contractor was killed in an incident of so-called “friendly fire” in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, the military announced.

The contractor was identified as Jacob (Kobi) Avitan, 39, from Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

Avitan was contracted to operate an excavator to clear structures in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces has been withdrawing from in recent days amid a ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group.

The Defense Ministry has hired numerous civilians with construction experience for demolition tasks in Gaza amid the war, freeing up IDF units.

According to an initial IDF probe, the contractor arrived in civilian clothing at an army post inside Gaza, in an area where troops were still deployed, and was mistakenly identified as a threat.

A soldier guarding the entrance to the army post opened fire on Avitan, killing him.

The IDF Military Police launched an investigation into the deadly incident.

Inside an IDF forward operating base in the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, December 26, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

Avitan was the second civilian Defense Ministry contractor killed in Gaza amid the war. In May, civilian contractor Liron Yitzhak, 30, was killed in a mortar attack on troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

The incident came amid a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, during which the IDF has withdrawn from most of the Netzarim Corridor — a strip of land south of Gaza City that bisects Gaza — and authorized the opening of south-north roads for Palestinians.

The IDF had established several temporary posts in the corridor amid the war.

Since Monday morning, as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, Gazans have been able to freely return to northern Gaza after being prevented by the IDF from doing so since the beginning of the war — when civilians were called to head for the Strip’s south to avoid combat zones.

This aerial photo shows displaced Gazans walking toward Gaza City on January 27, 2025, after crossing the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip. (AFP)

Hamas on Monday claimed that “more than 300,000 displaced” returned to the Strip’s north. The Times of Israel has learned that according to the IDF’s assessments as of Tuesday morning, that number is far lower, estimated in the tens of thousands.

On Tuesday, the IDF said it operated against several “threats” in Gaza amid the ceasefire.

In central Gaza, a drone strike was carried out as a warning after a vehicle attempted to travel to north Gaza via an area that is prohibited for vehicular traffic per the agreement, and as such would not have undergone inspection, the military said.

In southern Gaza, the IDF said troops fired warning shots after suspects were approaching forces “and posed a threat.” After the suspects continued to near the troops, they were directly targeted.

An Egyptian and Qatari committee inspect Palestinian vehicles at the Netzarim checkpoint as they return to northern Gaza, January 28, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

In other areas of Gaza, warning shots were fired at suspects who “posed a threat” to troops, the army added.

“The IDF is determined to fully implement the terms of the agreement to return the hostages. The IDF is prepared for any scenario, and will continue to take all necessary actions to remove any immediate threat to IDF soldiers,” the military said in a statement. “The IDF once again calls on Palestinian civilians to obey IDF instructions and not approach the forces deployed in the area,” it added.

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