IDF soldier killed in Gaza by friendly fire

2026-02-18 - 08:47

Ofri Yafe, a soldier in the IDF Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, was killed by friendly fire in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning, the IDF said Wednesday. The incident occurred during an IDF demolition operation in the southern Gaza Strip, in the Khan Younis area. For reasons that remain unclear, one of the soldiers mistakenly identified Yafe and opened fire at him. The circumstances are under IDF investigation. Yafe was evacuated in critical condition to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where doctors fought to save his life, but were ultimately forced to pronounce him dead. Yafe is the first IDF soldier to fall in the Gaza Strip since January 22 of this year. The previous fatality was Asael Babayev, 38, from Givat Binyamin, a soldier in the 941st Infantry Battalion of the Menashe Regional Brigade. Babayev succumbed to his wounds after being critically injured on October 19, 2025, during fighting in southern Gaza. Babayev, who was married to Hagit and the father of Tamar, Shai, Ayala, Gilad and Noga, was due to celebrate his 39th birthday about two weeks after his death. His family chose to donate his organs, saving the lives of others.