Residents of the Nir Yitzhak settlement said they did not notice anything unusual and are used to hearing explosions from Israeli activity in Gaza [GETTY]
An Israeli plane en route to striking Gaza accidentally dropped its bombs near an Israeli settlement bordering the enclave on Tuesday, the Israeli army said.
The Israeli army said the strike was due to a “technical malfunction” and there were no injuries, casualties or damage, with an investigation planned.
“A short while ago, munitions dropped from a fighter jet during an attack in the Gaza Strip fell in an open area in the Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak area as a result of a technical malfunction,” an army spokesperson said.
The bomb, which exploded on impact, fell on the western side of the kibbutz, away from the residential area.
Residents told Yedioth Ahronoth daily they had heard a blast, but did not notice anything different, thinking it was from a launch of an Iron Dome interceptor, being accustomed to hearing explosions as Israel continues with its operations in the Gaza Strip.
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak said it was in “continuous contact with military officials and expects a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident”.
Israeli forces also accidentally dropped a half-tonne bomb near the border settlement of Moshav Yated in May, described at the time as an “exceptional, rare and dangerous” event.
In June, a tank shell, aiming to hit Gaza, went off course and landed in Israeli territory near the border fence.
The Israeli army has been accused of implementing the Hannibal directive in the past, a military protocol where Israeli soldiers would kill captives and their captors to prevent the enemy from being able to use them as a bargaining chip.
Documents obtained by Haaretz found that the directive was used during the 7 October attacks to prevent Israeli soldiers from being taken captive.
This includes the targeting of Kibbutz Be’eri, where 13 out of 14 Israeli captives held by Hamas fighters were killed during an Israeli army operation.
While the army has admitted to implementing the Hannibal directive in the past, they have refused to say whether it was ordered during the October 7 Hamas attacks.
