Bloody fighting continues between Hamas and the Israeli army in Jabalia and Rafah areas of Gaza, during which 5 Israeli soldiers were killed and 7 wounded in friendly fire.
According to the Israeli media, the Israeli army (IDF) claims that the deaths of its soldiers were not caused by the attack of Hamas, but by the army itself.
On the other hand, Hamas is releasing video evidence of attacks and killings on the Israeli army on a daily basis, in which dozens of soldiers are said to have died.
According to Reuters and the Times of Israel report, the Israeli army said in its statement that five soldiers were killed by Israeli tank fire in the northern Gaza Strip.
The dead soldiers include Sergeant Alan Cohen, Sergeant Daniel Chemo, Staff Sergeant Betzleel David Shashuh, Staff Sergeant Gilad Ari Boim, Captain Roy Beit Yaakov. All the soldiers belonged to the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade.
The army said about the incident that 5 soldiers were killed and some were injured as a result of the cross-firing of tanks of 202 battalion.
The injured soldiers have been shifted to the hospital for medical attention where many are in critical condition due to which the death toll is likely to rise.
According to the army’s initial investigation, a tank operating with paratroopers in the Jabalia camp fired two rounds mistaking it for the presence of Mujahideen in a building while Israeli soldiers were gathered there.
Earlier, the tank force had reached the area in the morning hours after which the paratroopers entered the area and established their post in a building. In the evening another group of paratroopers arrived and informed the two tanks that we were entering the building.
The tank forces saw guns and weapons peeking through the windows of the building from where they were possibly fired upon, which they mistook for Hamas Mujahideen and opened fire there.
The Israeli army says that the incident is being further investigated.