An 188th Armored Brigade officer was seriously wounded in a friendly fire incident during an operation in southern Gaza earlier this week, Ynet learned on Wednesday, but the incident was not publicly disclosed by the military.
The officer, a deputy company commander in the brigade’s engineering battalion, was hospitalized after being shot by a fellow IDF unit during a combat mission in Rafah on Sunday. The bullet penetrated his body, causing moderate to serious injuries. He remains under medical care, and his condition is improving, according to the military.
The incident occurred in daylight hours during a routine offensive led by the Kfir Brigade’s combat team against Hamas positions on the outskirts of Khan Younis. Infantry troops mistakenly identified the officer, who was inside a building, as a terrorist and opened fire.
A preliminary investigation, which is still ongoing, confirmed that the officer was wounded by IDF gunfire. He received life-saving treatment on-site from a military medical team before being evacuated to a hospital. Initial lessons from the incident were circulated across the 36th Division to prevent similar errors.
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Despite the severity of the event and confirmation that the officer was hit by friendly fire, the IDF chose not to publicize the incident, nor did it announce the officer’s injury until pressed for comment. The army’s stated policy is to report only severe injuries or deaths, although in previous stages of the war, it has issued statements about soldiers injured even in moderate or light circumstances.
Earlier Tuesday, the IDF reported two soldiers moderately wounded in Khan Younis from terrorist fire. In response to inquiries, the IDF confirmed: “A combat officer from the 605th Engineering Battalion, Barak Brigade (188), was moderately injured three days ago in battle in southern Gaza. He was evacuated to hospital care, his family was informed, and his condition is improving.”
Military sources added: “The officer was injured as a result of a misidentification by our forces. The incident is under investigation.”