10 Israeli soldiers hospitalized after wasp swarm attack

• A swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip injured twelve IDF soldiers.
• The incident occurred during an ongoing operation by the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade.
• Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv treated the wounded soldiers, one of whom required intensive care.

Twelve IDF soldiers were injured after they were attacked by a swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reports.

The military said the incident occurred on Friday when a tank accidentally disturbed a nest, prompting the insects to retaliate, according to The Times of Israel.

Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer admitted 10 of the wounded soldiers for treatment, one of whom required intensive care, the report said. The hospital said the soldiers’ condition had not worsened and that their lives were not in danger.

Although this incident did not prove fatal, warm flock attacks can be fatal. A grandfather in Kentucky died after being attacked by a swarm of insects, likely yellowjackets, last year.

The bizarre wasp attack is the latest in a series of accidents and mistakes to plague the IDF’s Gaza operation.

The incident in Gaza occurred as part of an ongoing operation by the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade in the border region opposite the Israeli community of Nirim.

According to Sheba Medical Center, some of the troops suffered allergic reactions from being stung by hundreds of wasps – a situation that medics had never experienced before on this scale, The Times of Israel said.

The Israeli hospital responded by mobilizing intensive care, anesthesia, toxicology and ophthalmology to ensure proper treatment of the affected soldiers.

On October 7, a Hamas-led attack on Israel killed 1,143 people, including 767 civilians and hundreds of soldiers.

Since then, Israel’s wars of retaliation have killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

But the Israeli military has also fallen victim to itself.

In the wasp incident, the swarm was provoked by a shell rolling over its nest. Other IDF mistakes also resulted in Israeli casualties and equipment losses.

In cases of friendly fire, Israeli hostages and soldiers have been killed, including Efrat Katz, who was captured from her kibbutz on October 7 when an IDF helicopter machine-gunned her captors’ car.

A report in Haaretz Earlier this week it said 22 IDF soldiers had been killed and 54 injured by friendly fire in the conflict so far.

Last week, a US naval officer said 40% of drones shot down by the IDF were their own.

Business Insider contacted Sheba Medical Center and the IDF for comment.