The IDF on Saturday evening announced that Sergeant First Class (Res.) Ariel Lubliner fell in battle in Gaza.
Lubliner, age 34 from Kiryat Bialik, served as a soldier in the Logistics Regiment 6036 of the 36th Division. He fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the incident was a case of friendly fire that occurred on Friday night around 10:00 p.m. During a logistics convoy along one of the routes in Khan Yunis, gunfire was exchanged by IDF forces.
Initial findings suggest that the soldier was killed by an unintended stray bullet, and not by deliberate fire directed at the convoy. The incident remains under investigation.
Since the start of the war, 900 IDF soldiers have fallen in combat, including 456 since the beginning of the operations in the Gaza Strip.