Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, May 16

Good evening,

With great sorrow, we informed the families of the fallen soldiers today, Captain Roei Beit Yaakov, Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim, Staff Sergeant Betzalel Shashua, Sergeant Daniel Hamo and Sergeant Ilan Cohen, who fell in the fighting in Jabaliya. May their memory be a blessing.
From the initial inquiry of the incident, it appears that our troops fired from a tank toward a building where the soldiers were located due to a misidentification. This is a very severe and difficult incident. It took place in a dense combat zone where dozens of RPGs are fired at IDF tanks and soldiers. The operational environment is extremely complex and very dense. We are still in the midst of the investigation, and we will learn and draw lessons from it. Ensuring the safety of our troops is a central mission, and we are doing everything to carry out this mission. On behalf of the entire IDF command, I want to extend condolences to the bereaved families; we share in your deep sorrow. Each of the fallen is a world in themselves. We grieve the loss and will continue to support you.

The IDF is engaged in intense battles on three fronts in the Gaza Strip, where three divisions are operating against Hamas. The troops are fighting in areas where we have identified Hamas activity and in areas where we have not yet operated. These are dense areas where Hamas operatives are entrenched both above and below ground, and we are acting against them.
In the northern part of the Strip, the troops of the 98th Division continue to fight in Jabaliya, eliminating terrorists and apprehending some as well. Additionally, the troops have located and struck dozens of rocket launchers, some of which are long-range. We have not forgotten the rocket fire that occurred in recent days towards the city of Sderot, and we continue to act against any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and on any intelligence information we know about that involves rockets, from the air and from the ground.

In the southern part of the Gaza Strip, in eastern Rafah the Commando Brigade has joined the fighting under the 162nd Division. The Commando Brigade specializes in combat in dense areas and in conducting targeted raids. We continue to focus on locating tunnel shafts and underground routes in the area and destroying them. We are destroying terrorist infrastructure, uncovering weapons, and eliminating terrorists.

Alongside offensive efforts, we are working to implement the directive of the political level to strengthen the humanitarian effort that enables the combat. For example, in the coming days, the floating pier led by the U.S. and the U.S. Central Command and coordinated with the IDF will begin operations. The pier will facilitate the entry of humanitarian equipment via the maritime route, supplementing other efforts to bring in aid from the land. Today, we brought in approximately 350 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza from the land.

On the northern border, we struck a complex of weapons manufacturing and storage sites which are part of Hezbollah's precision-guided missile project in Jabal Shams in the Beqaa Valley overnight.
The strike was carried out in response to Hezbollah's fire towards a military site near Golani Junction, which hit a balloon that was on the ground as part of its operational integration processes. There were no casualties, and there was no impact on the IDF's aerial intelligence capabilities in the area. The IDF is acting against Hezbollah's UAVs and the aerial threat on all borders. It is important for Israeli civilians to know that the Israeli Air Force intercepts UAVs that infiltrate into the area every few days, not only from Lebanon but also from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, on all the borders.
During the day, we struck additional Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and eliminated a terrorist cell consisting of operatives from Hezbollah's UAV Array who were on their way to carry out a terrorist attack. Throughout the day, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel. An armed UAV exploded in the Metula area, resulting in one soldier being seriously wounded and two additional soldiers sustaining minor injuries. They were evacuated for medical treatment, and their families have been notified.

In Judea and Samaria, a terrorist stabbed a soldier near the Yitzhar Junction this morning. After a three-hour manhunt, IDF and ISA forces apprehended the suspected terrorist and brought him in for further questioning.

Today, representatives of the IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the families of the kidnapped Thai citizens, Sonthaya Oakkharasr and Sudthisak Rinthalak, who worked in agriculture in the orchards near Kibbutz Be'eri, that they were murdered during the October 7th massacre. Their bodies were kidnapped and are currently being held by Hamas in Gaza.

On October 7th, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered thirty-nine Thai citizens and kidnapped thirty-one Thai citizens to Gaza. Along with them, many other foreign citizens were kidnapped, including individuals from Tanzania, Nepal, Mexico, the United States and France. The horrific cruelty of Hamas was directed against anyone in their path without distinction of origin or nationality.
In front of our eyes stands the moral duty to bring them all back – to bring all 132 hostages home as quickly as possible.

We will continue to fight and act together with all the security organizations to create the conditions to bring them back to us, and to their families – whether in Israel or abroad.