The IDF announced on Wednesday morning that an IDF soldier was killed overnight in a friendly fire incident in the Gaza Strip.
The soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Ofri Yafe, z’l, 21, from HaYogev, a moshav in northern Israel. He served in the Paratrooper Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit.
Army Radio reported that the incident occurred in the Yellow Line area when two paratrooper soldiers were carrying out routine activities in eastern Khan Younis, searching and clearing buildings of terror infrastructure.
At about 2:00 a.m., one soldier mistakenly identified the second soldier as a terrorist and opened fire, critically injuring the soldier. A medical evacuation unit was dispatched to the scene, but sadly, the soldier was pronounced dead even before arriving at the hospital.
Yafe, z’l, is the fifth IDF casualty in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10, 2025. The number of IDF soldiers killed in the war with Gaza since October 7, 2023, is now 925.
The IDF launched an investigation into the incident.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Dont search buildings for terrorist. Just bomb them from the air. Now you know why Chareidim will never join an army that’s more concerned with the lives of Gaza civilians than their own soldiers.
Flatbush yid, the IDF follows guidelines that abide by halacha and international written by experts. Your view is as interesting / relevant as the snowfall in NY 34 years ago.
@flatbush yid: why make stuff up, just to incite sin’at hinam? where in the torah does it say that joining the army depends on your opinion of the army’s tactics? because my torah only has 3 reasons to be exempt, and it’s not one of them.