The IDF cleared for publication on Wednesday morning the name of fallen soldier Staff-Sergeant (St.-Sgt.) Ofri Yafe, who was killed in combat in southern Gaza.
Yafe, 21, served as a fighter in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit. He was originally from Kibbutz Megiddo in northern Israel.
According to Israeli media, Yaffe was hit by friendly fire during a nighttime operation by a paratrooper force in the Khan Yunis area on Tuesday night. He was reportedly critically injured and was taken to receive medical treatment before he was later pronounced dead.
The military is investigating the incident are still being investigated, and his family has been notified.
He leaves behind his parents, Hadas and Yiftach, and three younger brothers, Noy, Tzuf, and Itamar.
“We are shocked by the tragedy and cannot digest the loss of Ofri, our beloved son. This is incomprehensible,” his family wrote of his passing.
“Our hearts are broken with the fall of Ofri, a son of our valley. A brave young man, full of life and values, who chose to serve and contribute to the state out of a sense of mission and love of the land,” said Jezreel Valley council head Shlomit Shihor Reichman. “Today, the Jezreel Valley embraces the Yafe family and the entire HaYogev community. The pain is unbearable, and we stand beside the family in their difficult hour. The entire Jezreel Valley is united in mourning and sorrow.”
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.Â