Soldier who killed Nathan Fitoussi in friendly fire incident removed from combat duty

An Israeli soldier who accidentally shot and killed his comrade in August is being removed from combat duty as the Israel Defense Forces wraps up a probe into the friendly fire incident.

Nathan Fitoussi, 20, was shot dead on late August 15 after he returned to a guard post near the Palestinian city of Tulkarem and was misidentified as a threat.

The soldier stationed at the post with Fitoussi, identified by the initials of his name in Hebrew, Aleph Mem, was removed from combat duty “since he did not meet the operational norms expected of an IDF soldier,” the military says.

The IDF adds that the procedures for pairs of soldiers guarding, and the open-fire policy, have been “sharpened.”

The Military Police is still probing the fatal accident, and upon completion of its investigation, the findings are to be forwarded to the Military Prosecutor’s Office for review.