Five IDF soldiers mistakenly killed by friendly fire in Gaza

Of the 273, at least 49 have been killed in friendly fire incidents by the IDF.

Israeli forces are currently conducting a major operation in Jabalia to quell a Hamas insurgency there. The friendly-fire incident occurred at an axis captured on Wednesday morning in a raid that included two tanks.

At around noon, soldiers entered a three-story building some 10 meters from the tanks. According to a preliminary investigation, the tank crews were unaware that the deputy commander of the 202nd Battalion had set up field headquarters in the building, and fired on what they thought were enemy fighters.

"The army still does not know the reason for the shooting and the apparent deviation from the boundaries of the sector, since the armoured force that erred organically belongs to the 202nd Battalion's combat team, so it is not clear how such a fatal mistake occurred," Ynet reported.

Three brigade combat teams are operating in Jabalia, and around 130 terrorists have been killed so far. Most of the city's civilian population has been evacuated.