Sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah, 'A hero of Israel'

Sergeant Betzalel David Shashuah, 21, from Tel Aviv, was among five IDF soldiers killed in a friendly fire incident in northern Gaza. His family remembers him as a hero who valued unity.

Staff sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Staff sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Sergeant Betzlel David Shashuah was killed in the friendly fire incident in northern Gaza along with four other IDF soldiers from Battalion 202.

Shahuah was 21 years old from Tel Aviv and like the others, served in the Paratroopers Brigade.

“Betzlel David was a beloved son, religious, and volunteered for the IDF,” is family wrote. “He was a hero. He had only two months left of army service, yet he insisted on returning to his comrades to fight despite no longer being obligated. A hero of Israel, his most important wish was for unity among the people!”

Two IDF tanks killed five IDF soldiers and injured seven more in a friendly fire incident on Wednesday when they fired on a forward IDF battalion headquarters in Jabalya in northern Gaza.

The tanks were said to be under extreme pressure from dozens of rocket-propelled grenade attacks in the area.

He leaves behind his parents Shai and Galit, and a brother and three sisters. He studied at the Imrei David Talmud Torah elementary school, and the Yeshivat Yedidya high school in Petah Tikva. He was buried at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul.

The incident

A tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, May 15, 2024 (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
A tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border, May 15, 2024 (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)

Two IDF tanks killed five IDF soldiers and injured seven more in a friendly fire incident on Wednesday when they fired on a forward IDF battalion headquarters in Jabalya in northern Gaza.

The tanks were said to be under extreme pressure from dozens of rocket-propelled grenade attacks in the area.

The other four soldiers who were killed were:

Capt. Roy Beit Yaakov, 22, from Eli, was a combat officer in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.

Sergeant Daniel Chemu, 20, from Tiberias, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.

Sergeant Ilan Cohen, 20, from Karmiel, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.

Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim, 22, from Karnei Shomron, was a soldier in Battalion 202, Paratroopers Brigade.