5 Israeli soldiers killed, 7 injured in northern Gaza after IDF tank mistook them for enemy

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and another seven were wounded, including three seriously, in an incident of so-called friendly fire in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya yesterday, the military announces.

The slain troops are named as

• Cpt. Roy Beit Yaakov, 22, from Eli
• Staff Sgt. Gilad Arye Boim, 22, from Karnei Shomron
• Sgt. Daniel Chemu, 20, from Tiberias
• Sgt. Ilan Cohen, 20, from Karmiel
• Staff Sgt. Betzalel David Shashuah, 21, from Tel Aviv

The soldiers all served in the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion.

According to an initial IDF probe, a tank operating alongside the paratroopers in the Jabaliya camp fired two shells at a building where they were gathered at around 7 p.m.

The tank forces had arrived at the area in the morning hours, and several hours later, the paratroopers reached the area and established a post in the building. Later in the evening, another group of paratroopers reached the area and notified two of the tanks there that they were entering the building.

The tank forces had later identified a gun barrel from one of the windows of the building and believed it was enemy forces, leading them to fire two shells.

The incident is being further probed.