Israeli Army Acknowledges Friendly Fire Deaths: 20 Soldiers Killed in Gaza
Watan-The Israeli occupation army has admitted that 20 of its soldiers were killed by friendly fire in the Gaza Strip since the start of ground battles there in late October of last year.
The Israeli army radio reported that the number of soldiers killed by friendly fire in the Gaza battles represents one-fifth of the total soldiers who died during the ground operation, bringing the army’s announced total to 111, including officers and soldiers.
According to the army’s announcement, 13 soldiers were killed by their own forces after being mistakenly identified as Palestinian resistance fighters. Some were injured by friendly fire from the air, some by tank fire, and others by infantry gunfire.
One of these soldiers was killed by a stray bullet fired by Israeli soldiers without the intention of hitting him. Additionally, two soldiers were killed in tank and armored personnel carrier accidents, and two more were killed by gunfire from a machine gun mounted on the back of a tank and from two other incidents involving the army’s ammunition fragments.
According to the radio, the Israeli occupation army acknowledged that the high number of casualties was due to various reasons, including the massive presence of forces in the field, the duration and nature of the fighting, fatigue, lack of operational discipline, coordination issues among forces, and other factors.
The army admitted that operational accidents and incidents of mutual gunfire were events that should have been largely avoided.
The announced toll of casualties in the Israeli army
Thus, the total number of casualties in the Israeli army becomes 435 officers and soldiers, a toll announced since the beginning of the “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” on October 7th.
Despite the strict military censorship imposed by the Israeli army, Israeli media occasionally publishes reports on the extent of losses in the Israeli army that contradict the official announcements.
Last Saturday, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that five thousand Israeli soldiers have been recorded as injured since the beginning of the war. The newspaper explained that over 58% of them suffer serious injuries in their hands and feet, including those requiring amputation.
Haaretz newspaper also published a report on the number of Israeli casualties, focusing on what it called a significant gap between the number of wounded soldiers announced by the Israeli army and the records of hospitals that have received, according to them, 4,593 wounded.
It was previously revealed that Soroka Israeli Hospital in Beersheba treated 2,034 soldiers and officers since October 7th.
