Three IDF soldiers killed by errant tank shell in Strip

The Golani Brigade suffered heavy casualties on Monday when three soldiers were killed and another 24 were wounded, as an errant tank shell hit their position in the northern Gaza Strip

According to reports, a force from Golani's 13th Battalion came under heavy mortar fire in Saja'iya and entered a nearby home for cover.
Mistaking the force for Hamas, an IDF tank fired at the home. A shell hit the building which collapsed on the force. Three soldiers were killed and of the 24 wounded, one was in critical condition and another three were in serious condition. The other 20 casualties, including Col. Avi Peled, commander of the brigade, and Lt.-Col. Oren Cohen, commander of a battalion, were lightly-to-moderately wounded.

An earlier suspicion that the home was booby-trapped has been ruled out.

The fighting lasted several hours as IDF artillery pounded the area and helicopters evacuated the wounded. The clashes marked the first time the IDF extended its ground operation into a densely populated area. More...

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