Deaths of 20 out of 105 soldiers killed in Gaza op were friendly fire

Of the 105 Israeli soldiers killed to date in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, which began in late October, 20 were killed by so-called friendly fire and other accidents, according to new data released by the IDF on Tuesday.

Thirteen of the soldiers were killed by friendly fire due to mistaken identification in airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire, reports times of Israel.

One soldier was killed by gunfire that was unintended to hit them, and another two were killed by accidental misfires.

Two soldiers were killed in incidents involving armored vehicles running over troops.

And two soldiers were killed by shrapnel, including from explosives set off by Israeli forces.

The IDF has assessed that myriad reasons have led to the deadly accidents, including the large number of forces operating in Gaza, communication issues between forces, and soldiers being tired and not paying attention to regulations.

There are currently thousands of infantry forces, tanks, and other troops in Gaza taking part in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, operating in Gaza City’s dense neighborhoods.

The military has said it is constantly assessing the ongoing fighting, including the cases of friendly fire, and quickly implementing lessons learned.

Still, the IDF has repeatedly praised cooperation between different branches of the military, especially aircraft providing air support to troops on the ground.

The IDF has announced the deaths of 105 soldiers who have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground incursion on October 27.

Another 582 soldiers have been wounded in the ground operation — including 133 seriously wounded, 218 moderately, and 231 lightly, according to IDF data from Monday._Agencies.