Israeli army says 20 soldiers killed in 'friendly fire' since ground operation in Gaza

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army on Tuesday said 20 soldiers were killed in "friendly fire" in the Gaza Strip since the start of the ground operation in the narrow enclave at the end of October.

Out of 105 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the ground operation started on Oct. 27, 20 were killed in friendly fire, making one fifth of the deaths, the Israeli Army Radio cited a statement by the military as saying.

The army statement also said out of the 20 soldiers killed in "friendly fire," 13 soldiers were killed in shooting accidents after mistakenly identified as Palestinian gunmen.

Two soldiers were killed from military vehicles running over them, two others killed by shrapnel from explosives intentionally set off by the Israeli forces, and one soldier killed from a stray bullet.

The statement noted that the army constantly carries out assessments to the ongoing fighting in Gaza, including assessing the friendly fire incidents to avoid their reoccurrence.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar