Five Israeli soldiers killed by apparent friendly fire in north Gaza
Five Israeli soldiers have been killed and three seriously injured in an incident in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday after an information embargo was lifted.
According to Israeli media reports, the soldiers were killed by friendly fire from Israeli tanks during battles against militants on Wednesday.
The tanks reportedly fired on a building in the refugee camp of Jabalia where the soldiers were staying. Those operating the tanks had mistaken the soldiers for armed Palestinians, it said.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the armoured vehicles had been under heavy pressure at the time because they had been shot at with dozens of anti-tank grenades in battles with extremist Palestinians. As a result, all the viewing slits and the top hatch of the tanks were said to have been closed for protection.
According to the army, Wednesday's incident brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the Gaza war on October to 7 to 626. Around 3,500 others have been injured.
Some 35,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed in the fighting triggered by the unprecedented massacre led by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas on Israel on October 7.
That day, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded by pounding Gaza with massive airstrikes and launching a ground offensive into the coastal area.
