5 IDF Soldiers From Charedi Paratrooper Unit Killed, 7 Injured In Friendly Fire Incident

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE: Five IDF soldiers, all of whom fought in Battalion 202 (Chetz) of the Paratroopers Brigade, fell in a tragic friendly fire incident which occurred in northern Gaza. Five other soldiers were injured in the incident, three of them seriously.

The Chetz (Charedi Paratrooper) battalion is part of the Netzach Yehuda Charedi units serving in the IDF.

The incident occurred at 7 PM on Wednesday night. Two tanks under the command of 202 battalion fired at a house where the deputy commander of the battalion had set up headquarters in the Jabalya refugee camp.

An initial investigation revealed that the tanks, which did not have their flaps open and could not see clearly, identified a weapon in one of the windows and one directed the other one to fire at the building. The tanks, which had been at their position since the morning, were not aware that IDF soldiers had taken up positions in the building. It is unclear why the tanks were not informed of this development, or whether they did not comprehend the geography of the location.

The IDF named the fallen as:

Captain Ro’i Beit Yaakov, 22 years old from the town of Eli
Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim, 22 years old from Karnei Shomron in Samaria
Sergeant Daniel Chemu, 20 years old from Tiberias
Sergeant Ilan Cohen, 20 years old from Carmiel
Staff Sergeant Betzalel David Shashuah, 21 years old from Tel Aviv
Their families have been notified.

Ro’i is the son of Hadas and Avidan, the town’s chairman. He is also an alumnus of the Eli pre-military academy, and its 21st fallen soldier in the current conflict.

Ro’i Beit Yaakov HyD

Binyamin Regional Council chair Yisrael Ganz, who is also the Yesha Council chairman, said, “The family, the town of Eli – whose residents and alumni are on the front lines of the war – and the entire Binyamin Region, are in great pain.”

“How great is the pain involved in the nation of Israel’s renewal in its Land. How many heroes do we have, who sacrifice their lives so that we will win and live here, in the Land of Israel, with peace and security. In their merit, we will win.”

Ro’i’s funeral will take place Thursday at 3:00p.m. at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl.

Gilad Boim HyD

Gilad was described by friends as a “boy with a heart of gold who went out of his way to help every soldier.” He is survived by his parents and four siblings.

Ilan Cohen was a lone soldier who immigrated from Argentina, studied in the Chabad yeshiva in Migdal Ha’Emek and at Har Bracha yeshiva and then joined the charedi unit. He is pictured here studying in yeshiva and placing Tefillin on another soldier.

Daniel Hemu grew up in Tiberias and studied in a Talmud Torah and in the Migdal Or institutions. In recent years he had lived in Netanya.

Daniel Chemu HyD

Betzalel David Shashua, son of Galit and Shai from Tel Aviv, is a graduate of the Yedida charedi yeshiva high school in Petah Tikva.

Betzalel Shashua HyD