Israel accidentally kills five IDF soldiers in friendly fire incident

• Israeli tank fire accidentally killed five IDF soldiers in a friendly fire incident in the Gaza Strip.
• The soldiers belonged to the IDF paratrooper brigade.
• Friendly fire incidents have become a major problem for the IDF.

An Israeli tank shelling accidentally killed five Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers earlier this week, a military spokesman said on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters that the five men were killed in a battle in a densely populated part of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

“There was a friendly fire incident – five soldiers were killed,” Shoshani said, adding that the incident was “under review,” according to the New York Times.

Two tanks had fired on a building in the Jabalia refugee camp after spotting a gun barrel they believed belonged to enemy forces, an initial IDF investigation found, The Times of Israel reported.

The soldiers belonged to the IDF paratrooper brigade.

The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Friendly fire incidents are a serious problem for the IDF

Friendly fire incidents are becoming more frequent during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported earlier this month that 22 soldiers had already been killed as a result of friendly fire incidents during the conflict.

Former Colonel Simon Diggins, a British military and defense analyst who served in the Middle East, told Britain’s i newspaper that the number of reported incidents was not surprising, pointing out that “illnesses and non-combat-related injuries” are often the cause Casualties exceed those caused directly by enemy actions, he said.

“I think it’s probably fair to say that the Israelis tend to shoot first and ask questions later, but the situation is also very complicated, and fighting in built-up areas is a very complex and very dangerous part of being a soldier “,” he told the newspaper.

Last month, a report revealed that an Israeli grandmother was likely killed by Israeli Air Force helicopter fire after Hamas militants kidnapped her during attacks on Israel on October 7.

In December, the IDF also announced this was the case accidentally killed three Israeli hostages after troops “misidentified” them as a threat.

But friendly fire also impacts operational efficiency.

A US naval officer said earlier this month that the IDF had shot down 40% of its own drones.

Speaking at the Modern Day Marine exhibition on May 1, Lt. Col. Michael Pruden said that “40% of the UAVs disabled by the IDF” were cases of friendly fire. The war zone reported.

“When Israel gets involved in Gaza and is on the front lines, they see a small UAS. “What are they going to do if it’s not identified right away?” Pruden said. “They’re going to shoot it down.”

Pruden did not confirm where or when such incidents occurred.

The Marine Corps told Business Insider that the war zone report was accurately contextualized, but declined to provide additional information.