Five Israeli paratroopers were killed and several injured when an Israeli tank fired on them in the latest friendly-fire incident during the country’s war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that a tank fired twice at the troops, with an initial review showing that it was likely the result of misidentification during fierce fighting with “Hamas in a dense [urban] area” in Jabalia. IDF troops have returned to the ruins of the northern Gaza refugee camp a few months after Israel had declared the area cleared of Hamas fighters.
The Palestinian militants sometimes “dress up as [Israeli] soldiers, and fight within civilian buildings”, a spokesperson said.