IDF: 29 Soldiers Killed in Gaza Were Result of Friendly Fire, Accidents

(VINnews) — According to data released by the Israeli military, 29 of the 170 soldiers who have been killed in Gaza since the war began, were killed by friendly fire and other accidents. That equals 17% of the total number of soldiers who were tragically struck down.

(The IDF data released Monday, did not include two soldiers who were killed on December 30 and 31, which brought the total to 172.)

Since the beginning of the ground invasion, between two and six soldiers have been killed per week in friendly fire or accidents, according to the data.

Eighteen soldiers were killed by friendly fire due to mistaken identification, including airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire. Two soldiers were killed by gunfire not intended to hit them.

Nine were killed in accidents, including weapon discharges, being run over by armored vehicles, and being hit by shrapnel from controlled demolitions.

The IDF has assessed that many different reasons have contributed to the accidents, including the large number of forces in Gaza, communication issues between forces, and soldiers being exhausted and not following regulations.

Still, the IDF has repeatedly praised the cooperation and coordination between different branches of the military, especially aircraft providing air support to ground forces.

There are currently tens of thousands of infantry forces, tanks, and other troops in Gaza taking part in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas.