From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Two reservists who died in Gaza on Sunday were killed by mistaken IDF fire
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An IDF investigation into the deaths of two reservists in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday has found that the pair were killed by friendly fire.
Master Sgt. (res.) Ido Aviv, 28, of the Yiftah Brigade’s 9232nd Battalion, and Master Sgt. (res.) Kalkidan Meharim 37, of the Carmeli Brigade’s 223rd Battalion, were hit by shelling from a tank that had opened fire outside of its designated boundaries, according to the probe.
The probe found that the incident began as an IDF tank was hit by a roadside bomb near the Turkish Hospital in the Netzarim Corridor. Shortly after, mortars and anti-tank missiles were launched toward troops in the corridor area.
Amid an exchange of fire with the Hamas operatives, a tank of the Yiftah Brigade left an encampment and shelled a building in the area.
The building had been outside of the tank force’s designated boundaries, according to the probe. Several troops, including Aviv and Meharim, were in the building when it was hit.
The IDF is further investigating the conduct of the troops, which were deployed to Gaza just last week.
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