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Friendly fire during the Israel–Hamas war

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In specific cases there were incidents of friendly fire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. The vast majority of casualties in the conflict were killed by the opposing side, i.e. Israelis killed by Palestinian militants and Palestinians killed by the Israeli military.

Background

Friendly fire incidents were seen before the Gaza invasion and the 7 October attacks, with a non-commissioned officer shot and killed by IDF troops in Summer 2023 while securing an alley way in Jenin with the elite Egoz commando unit. Two others were killed in the same unit in January 2022 in the Jordan Valley, with both incidents being highlighted as mistaken identities.[1][2]

After the 7 October attacks Israel mobilized about 360,000 reservists in the IDF, which were to add to their about 169,500 active duty personnel. By January 2024 about 295,000 reservists had reported for duty and many were potentially under trained due to timing concerns before being sent to fight.[3] The IDF has an annual budget of about $23.6 billion for the 2023, and possess a range of highly sophisticated defensive and offensive weaponry.[4]

Confirmed incidents

  • In the Hamas led attack on 7 October, around 70 Hamas militants attacked the Be'eri kibbutz in southern Israel and at least 130 Israelis were killed in the attack. Several individuals were taken hostage in the kibbutz during the attack. Relatives of some of those killed have demanded a probe into the potential deaths of some of these hostages from friendly fire, including one incident in which an Israeli tank fired at a house full of hostages.[5][6][7]
  • On 7 October, as Israeli Doron Katz-Asher and other members of her family were being transported from the Nir Oz kibbutz on a tractor to be taken as hostages by Palestinian militants, the IDF fired on them to stop the tractor reaching Gaza; her mother Efrat Katz died from a bullet. Doron Katz-Asher was held hostage in Gaza for 49 days before being released during the ceasefire in late November. [8] On 5 April, 2024 it was announced that an IDF investigation found high credibility that Katz was likely killed by friendly fire.[9]
  • On 7 October, Ofek Atun and his girlfriend Tamar escaped from the Re'im music festival massacre and attempted to enter kibbutz Alumim, which was also attacked, to seek refuge. Members of the kibbutz's security squad and a resident soldier mistook them for militants and opened fire, killing Atun and wounding Tamar.[10]
  • On 30 November 2023, In the Givat Shaul shooting in Jerusalem, 2 Palestinian gunmen killed three and wounded sixteen Israeli civilians. The gunmen were killed by Yuval Castleman, an Israeli bystander who shot the gunmen. He was fatally shot by an arriving IDF soldier shortly after.[11]
  • On 15 December 2023, IDF soldiers shot dead 3 Israeli hostages who were waving a white-flag in Shuja'iyya, Gaza.[12]
  • On 8 January 2024, Israeli combat engineers were reportedly prepping to demolish a Hamas facility. A nearby tank crew mistakenly opened fire, leading to an electricity pole collapsing and setting off the explosives. Six soldiers lost their lives, and 14 others sustained injuries in the blast.[13]

IDF running casualties

According to the Israeli military, since the ground invasion of Gaza beginning on October 29, an average of two to six soldiers were killed each week from friendly fire for a total of 18 soldiers out of 170 killed as of 1 January 2024.[14] By 26 January the number of IDF troops killed in friendly fire incidents had been increased to 36 out of 188 soldiers reported as killed.[15] They were a part of the about 17% of soldiers war-related deaths that were classified as accidents.[16][17][18] On the six month anniversary of the 7 October attack in April 2024, the IDF published data on their engagements which included casualty numbers. Per the report 41 soldiers of the 604 killed since the start of the war were the result of operational accidents which included friendly fire.[19]

Of the deceased some were killed by Israeli airstrikes, shrapnel from their own explosives, being run over by Israeli armored vehicles, and mistakenly identified and hit with tank fire, shelling and/or guns. These numbers do not take into account injuries resulting from friendly fire, but the IDF has indicated that they have had reports of those.[15] Israeli hostages, who were freed by Hamas on 5th December 2023, convened with Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet. They asserted that Israeli helicopters intentionally targeted them as they entered Gaza during the Hamas attack on Israel on 7th October. Furthermore, they reported enduring continuous shelling from the Israeli military throughout their stay in the region.[20]

The transparency of Israel's disclosure regarding friendly fire fatalities has made them subject to additional scrutiny, as many nations do not make such information public.[13]

Hannibal Directive and Yedioth Ahronoth investigation

On 5 December 2023, Israeli hostages released by Hamas met with Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet and claimed that, during the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel they were deliberately attacked by Israeli helicopters on their way into Gaza, and were shelled constantly by the Israeli military while they were there.[21] The Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on 16 December that IDF forces had fired on a tractor carrying hostages to Gaza.[8] On 18 December the IDF admitted that "casualties fell as a result of friendly fire on October 7", but added that "beyond the operational investigations of the events, it would not be morally sound to investigate these incidents due to the immense and complex quantity of them that took place in the kibbutzim and southern Israeli communities due to the challenging situations the soldiers were in at the time."[22]

In January 2024, an investigation by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth concluded that the IDF had in practice applied the Hannibal Directive from noon of October 7, ordering all combat units to stop "at all costs" any attempt by Hamas militants to return to Gaza with hostages.[23][24] IDF helicopters fired on cars trying to cross into Gaza.[25] It is unclear how many hostages were killed by friendly fire as a result of the order.[23][24] According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli soldiers inspected around 70 vehicles on the roads leading to Gaza that had been hit by a helicopter, tank or UAV, killing all occupants in at least some cases.[23][24]

In an interview with Israel’s Haaretz, Lieut. Col. Nof Erez stated that IDF forces were mostly wiped out on the ground along the Gaza border. This reportedly meant that there was no one that helicopter or drone pilots could communicate with, making the identification of persons on the ground very difficult. According to Erez, "the Hannibal [Protocol], for which we have been conducting drills over the past 20 years, relates to the case a single vehicle containing hostages: you know which part of the fence it comes through, what side of the road it would move to and even which road... What we saw here was a 'mass Hannibal'. There were many openings in the fence. Thousands of people in many different vehicles, both with hostages and without hostages."[26][27]

Reactions

Retired US Navy admiral and former supreme leader of NATO forces, James Straridis cautioned that the IDF had a very high friendly fire rate, even in an dense urban setting while speaking to reporters.[13] Atlantic Council fellow and military intelligence expert Alex Plitsas cautioned that due to the fog of war, while any friendly fire instances are cause for concern, it was difficult to discern or reflect on if highlighted broader issues with the IDF and their tactics.[28] Some experts such as retired US Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland highlighted the urban combat, lack of evacuation, and poor building quality due to the blockade which could cause higher numbers of friendly fire. While others such as Avner Gvaryahu of the IDF veterans organization against the occupation, Breaking the Silence stated its due to a policy of "very loose rules of engagement."[15]

The sibling of one of the engineers killed in the 8 January incident, claimed the cause of his brothers death was a freak accident and he did not blame the soldiers involved as they were under large amounts of pressure and it was their duty to protect the engineers.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (16 May 2023). "Former officer in elite Egoz unit charged in deadly friendly fire incident last year". The Times of Israel. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (22 August 2023). "IDF probe finds Egoz soldier killed during Jenin operation was shot by friendly fire". The Times of Israel. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Ali, Taz (2024-01-18). "Why IDF soldiers are dying in friendly fire in Gaza". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  4. ^ "What to know about Israel's military strength". AXIOS. October 21, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Liza Rozovsky (2024-01-06), "Families of Israelis Killed in Be'eri Home Hit by IDF Tank on October 7 Demand Probe", Haaretz, retrieved 2024-01-06, [...] Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram said he had ordered a tank commander to fire on the home of Kibbutz Be'eri resident Pesi Cohen, in which Israeli civilians and many terrorists were holed up, 'even at the cost of civilian casualties.' [...] families of the killed Israelis demanded 'a comprehensive and transparent probe into the decisions and actions that led to this tragic outcome. [...]'
  6. ^ Staff (2024-01-06). "Families of 13 people killed in October 7 Kibbutz Be'eri firefight demand probe". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  7. ^ Frankel, Julia; Bernstein, Alon (2024-01-11). "Friendly fire may have killed their relatives on Oct. 7. These Israeli families want answers now". AP News. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  8. ^ a b Steinman, Tamir (2023-12-16). "י 49 ימים בגיהנום | דורון כץ-אשר, ששוחררה משבי חמאס עם שתי בנותיה, על רגעי האימה והניתוח שעברה ללא הרדמה" [49 days in hell – Doron Katz-Asher, who was released from captivity with her two daughters, about the moments of horror and the surgery she underwent without anesthesia]. N12. Retrieved 2024-01-27. ['At some point they actually put us on a tractor that took us from the field directly to Gaza. This is also where we were injured by the shooting.' At this point, the IDF force is shooting at them, to try to stop the tractor that is now speeding towards Gaza. 'In the middle of the ride on the tractor, there was a shooting, as a result of which my beloved mother was killed. I was injured in the back and my little Avi was injured in the leg.']
  9. ^ "IDF finds female Nir Oz resident likely killed by helicopter fire on October 7". The Jerusalem Post. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Israeli Nova Partygoer Was Misidentified as Hamas Terrorist on October 7 and Killed by Israeli Forces
  11. ^ Jordan, Eliana. "IDF soldier who shot 'Hero of Jerusalem terror attack' arrested". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  12. ^ Boxerman, Aaron; Bergman, Ronen (2023-12-16). "Israel-Hamas War: Hostages Waved White Flag Before Being Shot By Israeli Troops". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  13. ^ a b c d Sanchez, Raf; Pinson, Shira (2024-01-25). "Deaths of Israeli soldiers in explosion highlight friendly fire accidents in Gaza". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  14. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (1 January 2024). "IDF: Deaths of 29 of 170 soldiers in Gaza op were so-called friendly fire, accidents". Times of Israel.
  15. ^ a b c Tanis, Fatma (January 26, 2024). "Friendly fire and accidents have killed a lot of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Here's why". NPR. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Lilach Shoval (December 12, 2023). "20 מתוך 105 הרוגים: חמישית מהנופלים בתמרון - כתוצאה מתאונות" [20 of 105: Fifth of the fallen in the operation - results of accidents]. Israel Hayom. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Amir Buhbut (December 12, 2023). "20 לוחמים נפלו מתחילת התמרון מאש צה"ל ותאונות מבצעיות" [20 Soldiers killed since beginning of operation from IDF fire and operational accidents]. Walla. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy (2024-01-01). "IDF: 17% of soldiers killed by friendly fire in Gaza". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  19. ^ "Gaza war in numbers: IDF publishes data on six months of fighting against Hamas". I24 News. April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  20. ^ אייכנר, איתמר; צ'כנובר, יעל (2023-12-05). ""הפגיזו לידנו, בעלי הרביץ לעצמו": עדויות החטופות בפגישה עם הקבינט". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  21. ^ אייכנר, איתמר; צ'כנובר, יעל (2023-12-05). ""הפגיזו לידנו, בעלי הרביץ לעצמו": עדויות החטופות בפגישה עם הקבינט". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  22. ^ Zitun, Yoav (2023-12-12). "One-fifth of troop fatalities in Gaza due to friendly fire or accidents, IDF reports". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  23. ^ a b c Bergman, Ronen; Zitun, Yoav (2024-01-10). "ההוראה: למנוע ממחבלים לחזור לעזה 'בכל מחיר', גם אם יש איתם חטופים" [The instructions: prevent terrorists from returning to Gaza "at all costs" even if there are hostages with them]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  24. ^ a b c Bergman, Ronen; Zitun, Yoav (2024-01-12). "השעות הראשונות של השבת השחורה" [The first hours of Black Saturday]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  25. ^ Fink, Rachel (2023-01-17). "'Unlawful, Unethical, Horrifying': IDF Ethics Code Author on Alleged Use of 'Hannibal Directive' During Hamas Attack". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  26. ^ "הסקרים לא מתפרסמים אבל הכיוון ברור - רוב בציבור אומר לנתניהו "לך"". Haaretz.co.il weekly podcast (in Hebrew). 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  27. ^ "Israeli colonel says Hannibal Directive was possibly deployed on 7 October". Middle East Eye (in Hebrew and English). 2023-11-21.
  28. ^ Da Silva, Chantal (2023-12-12). "Nearly one-fifth of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza died due to friendly fire and other accidents, IDF says". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
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