Israeli soldier killed by friendly fire near Gaza border

Published February 4th, 2014 - 07:58 GMT

The officer was killed after one of his comrades mistook him for "a terrorist". (AFP/File)

An Israeli officer was killed overnight Monday by friendly fire near the northern Gaza border, Israel's army said.

"The IDF confirms an IDF officer was killed overnight following misidentified discharge during routine activity adjacent to the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated," an Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an.

An Israeli soldier mistakenly shot the officer after believing he was a "terrorist," Israeli news site Ynet reported.

The officer was on top of an armored personnel carrier when he shot and was no more than 20 meters from the other soldier, Ynet said.