The tragic incident in Sejaiya, in which nine IDF soldiers were killed, joins a long chain of disasters that have occurred over the years of our forces' activity in a neighborhood in northern Gaza.
Documentation: The battles of Golani fighters in Sejaiya // IDF Spokesperson
It has always been considered a strong Hamas stronghold and a center of resistance to Israel, and significant activity was carried out there in previous operations as well. We have had successes in our activities, alongside difficult incidents of loss and bereavement.
One of the biggest disasters in the neighborhood occurred in December 2008, during Operation Cast Lead. The disaster occurred when a force from the Golani Brigade positioned itself in a building between Jabaliya and Sejaiya, and was mistakenly identified by other IDF soldiers as an enemy force, leading to our forces firing bilaterally at the brigade, resulting in the deaths of three and the wounding of 24.
Incident of two-sided fire by our forces at members of the Golani Brigade. IDF attack in Gaza in Cast Lead, photo: Coco
One of the most memorable tragedies in the neighborhood was the APC disaster in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in which Oron Shaul, recognized as an IDF martyr whose burial place is unknown, was killed, among others, and whose body is being held by Hamas. During the fierce battles that took place in the neighborhood between IDF soldiers and Hamas operatives, an armored personnel carrier belonging to our forces was hit, which got stuck on one of the streets of Sejaiya because of a technical malfunction. Several anti-tank missiles were fired at the disabled APC, causing it to ignite and burn for hours. In this APC, Shaul and six other fighters, all from the Golani Brigade, died.
The armored personnel carrier got stuck on one of the streets of Sejaiya. IDF forces during Operation Cast Lead, photo: IDF Spokesperson
During the Iron Sword War, the IDF "settled the score" with Wassam Farhat, a Hamas member who was actually behind the APC disaster, as well as the 2002 attack on the Atzmona preparatory school and the 2011 attack on the school bus at Sha'ar Hanegev.
With the outbreak of the Iron Sword War, and following the difficult experience of the incident in Protective Edge, the IDF understood that it had to treat Sejaiya in a different way: to carry out special preparations for dealing with the neighborhood's fortifications, tunnel shafts and booby-trapped houses. However, even these preparations did not prevent the neighborhood from exacting an additional heavy price from our forces.
Palestinians waving a white flag during the fighting in Sejaiya, Photo: AP
On 4 December, three Armored Corps fighters fell when the tank they were travelling in was hit by an anti-tank missile. Their fall during the fighting was the prelude to a fierce battle between IDF forces and Hamas terrorists, who were hiding in the neighborhood, houses and tunnel shafts. The danger of the neighborhood was proven in the recent disaster, in which Golani Brigade fighters were killed while mopping up a house with a terror tunnel shaft inside.
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