The IDF announced on Wednesday morning that an IDF soldier was killed overnight in a friendly fire incident in the Gaza Strip.

The soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Ofri Yafe, z’l, 21, from HaYogev, a moshav in northern Israel. He served in the Paratrooper Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit.

Army Radio reported that the incident occurred in the Yellow Line area when two paratrooper soldiers were carrying out routine activities in eastern Khan Younis, searching and clearing buildings of terror infrastructure.

At about 2:00 a.m., one soldier mistakenly identified the second soldier as a terrorist and opened fire, critically injuring the soldier. A medical evacuation unit was dispatched to the scene, but sadly, the soldier was pronounced dead even before arriving at the hospital.

Yafe, z’l, is the fifth IDF casualty in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect on October 10, 2025. The number of IDF soldiers killed in the war with Gaza since October 7, 2023, is now 925.

The IDF launched an investigation into the incident.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)