According to the Times of Israel newspaper, data provided by the Israeli military indicated that 29 of 170 Israeli soldiers had been killed in the Gaza Strip by “friendly fire and other incidents” since the ground invasion began.
The newspaper published the data on Monday and said it did not include two army soldiers killed on December 30 and 31.
In its report, it reviewed details of several incidents in which eighteen out of 170 soldiers were killed due to mistaken identity, including airstrikes, tank shelling and gunfire.
Meanwhile, two soldiers were killed by bullets that did not target them, and nine others were killed in incidents including accidental weapons fire and being run over by armored vehicles.
According to the newspaper, since the start of ground operations, two to six soldiers have been killed weekly in friendly fire incidents or accidents.
According to the newspaper report, the Israeli military estimated that “myriad” causes led to these fatal accidents.
These reasons include the large number of forces operating in Gaza, communication problems between forces, soldier fatigue and non-compliance with regulations.
Tens of thousands of infantry, tanks and other forces are currently participating in the Israeli ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
The Israeli military announced that 172 soldiers had been killed in Gaza since the ground incursion began on October 27.
A further 937 soldiers were injured in the ground operation, including 211 seriously injured, 347 moderately injured and 379 lightly injured, according to The Times of Israel.
But so far, Israel's stated goals have not been achieved, and there is now talk of a third phase of ground operations, the first steps of which were revealed by the withdrawal of 5 brigades from the ongoing hostilities.
