Hundreds of people attended on Tuesday the funeral of IDF Staff Sergeant Nathan Fitoussi who was killed by friendly fire near the West Bank city of Tulkarm the night before.
The crowd of mourners gathered at the military section of the Netanya Cemetery where Fitoussi was laid to rest.
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Hundreds of mourners attend funeral of IDF soldier Nathan Fitoussi
(Photo: Yair Sagi)
Fitoussi, a 20-year-old resident of the central city of Netanya, served in the Kfir Brigade which is stationed on the West Bank and is tasked with fighting Palestinian terrorism.
Initial reports late Monday suggested Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Israeli troops stationed along the West Bank security barrier. However, it later became clear it was an incident of friendly fire.
Fitoussi was airlifted to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
The soldier's parents, who made Aliyah from France about a decade ago, eulogized their fallen son in French.
Fitoussi's battalion commander Lt. Col. Ran Cohen said he was "shocked and hurting because of Nathan's tragic death". He described Fitoussi as a "determined combat soldier, full of motivation, willpower, and pride, who played a significant role in the defense of the State of Israel and its citizens."
"Nathan, my heart hurts talking about you in the past tense. You were a good friend and very loved, the first to volunteer for every task," he concluded.
The military said the incident was being further investigated. Initial findings showed Fitoussi was shot after he briefly left his guard post to pray and was mistaken for an intruder upon his return by a fellow soldier who opened fire at him, hitting him at least twice.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi extended his condolences to Fitoussi's family, and added that "the incident was severe, difficult, and very tragic and we will investigate ourselves thoroughly and professionally - protecting our people is an integral part of our operational capacities of protecting the people of the State of Israel."