An Israeli engineering unit that had been conducting operations in the Morag Corridor—situated between Rafah and Khan Yunis—re-entered Israeli territory without realizing that one of their own had been left behind in Gaza. The mishap resulted in a soldier being stranded alone in enemy territory for close to an hour.
The soldier, a member of the elite Yahalom unit, eventually made contact with troops from the Golani Brigade who were stationed nearby. Fearing he might be mistaken for a threat, the soldier called out “IDF” repeatedly to alert them of his identity and avoid being fired upon.
The IDF Spokesperson confirmed the sequence of events in a statement: “On Tuesday, an IDF force operating in the southern Gaza Strip, near the border with Israel, left the Gaza Strip after the end of operational activity. Upon their return to Israel, an IDF soldier was left alone in Gaza for about 40 minutes.
The statement added: “The soldier arrived at an area where other IDF forces were staying and joined them. This is a serious incident that is under investigation and from which lessons will be drawn.”
{Matzav.com}