Two reservists killed in central Gaza were mistakenly hit by IDF fire — probe
Investigation finds tank shelled building where other forces were gathered in Netzarim Corridor amid exchange of fire with Hamas operatives
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An initial investigation by the Israel Defense Forces into the deaths of two reservists in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday found that the pair were killed by so-called 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 that was released Tuesday.
The investigation found that the incident began as an IDF tank was hit by a roadside bomb near the Turkish Hospital in central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor. Shortly after the blast, mortars and anti-tank missiles were launched by Hamas operatives 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, meaning the soldiers were not supposed to open fire toward that area.
Several troops, including the two reservists, were in the building when it was hit. Aviv and Meharim were declared dead, and two soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, according to the IDF.
The military said it was further investigating the conduct of the troops, who were deployed to central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor less than a week ago.
The corridor, built around a 6.8-kilometer-long road south of Gaza City, enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south. It also enables Israel to coordinate deliveries of humanitarian aid directly to northern Gaza.
Of the 263 Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, which began in late October, at least 43 were killed by friendly fire and in other accidents, according to IDF data.
The IDF has assessed that myriad reasons have led to the deadly accidents, including communication issues between forces, and soldiers being exhausted and not paying attention to regulations.
Another 1,593 soldiers have been wounded in the ground operation — 322 seriously wounded, 526 moderately and 745 lightly, according to the IDF data.
The ground operation followed three weeks of aerial bombardments in the wake of the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, when more than 3,000 Palestinian terrorists stormed the border into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnapped 253, amid many acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching an offensive aimed at toppling the Gaza-ruling terror group and securing the release of the hostages.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has claimed that since the start of the war, more than 34,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians. These figures cannot be independently verified and, according to Israel, include at least 13,000 Hamas fighters. Another estimated 1,000 terrorists were killed in Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
