An IDF soldier was left alone inside the Gaza Strip for approximately 40 minutes during a military operation earlier this week, the IDF confirmed, calling the incident a "serious operational failure."
The soldier, a member of the IDF's elite combat engineering unit Yahalom, was left behind near the Morag route, between Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The incident occurred Tuesday during an operational mission carried out close to the border with Israel.
According to initial reports, the unit completed its mission and withdrew from Gaza without realizing that one of its soldiers had been left behind. The soldier remained alone in the area for around 40 minutes before locating another IDF force, troops from the Golani Brigade, and rejoining Israeli forces. During the time he was alone, he reportedly shouted "IDF, IDF" repeatedly in an effort to avoid being mistaken for a terrorist and shot in a friendly fire incident.
The incident took place just meters from the Israeli border, in a zone where IDF units have been operating regularly amid the ongoing conflict with the Hamas terrorist organization.
In a statement, the IDF said: "The soldier remained alone in the Gaza Strip for approximately 40 minutes before reaching a sector where other IDF forces were deployed and reuniting with them. This is a serious incident that is currently under investigation, and lessons will be learned."
