Israeli army probe reveals many soldiers killed, injured by ‘friendly fire' during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack

An Israeli military investigation revealed that several soldiers were killed and injured by “friendly fire” during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, according to leaked findings reported by local media.

Various Israeli entities, including the military, initiated investigations to determine accountability for the “failure” to predict and prevent the attack.

Israel's Channel 12 broadcaster reported on Thursday evening that a military investigation into the attack found, based on leaked information, that “friendly fires led to the deaths and injuries of an unspecified number of Israeli soldiers who were highly hesitant” to confront the Palestinian attacking factions.

The investigation found that Israel's military forces were deployed in "chaotic" ways in areas adjacent to Gaza.

The broadcaster noted that the official investigation outcome will be published by mid-July.

“According to Israeli military estimates, the investigation into the battles at Kibbutz Be'eri will be the first report released in July,” the channel said.

One of the incidents under investigation is a military commander's order to fire on a house where Israelis were kept hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.Several Israeli political, security, and military officials have described the attack as “a significant intelligence failure” for the country.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnations amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 37,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.