JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli soldier who died during the terrorist attacks near Eilat was killed by friendly fire, an Israel Defense Forces investigation has found.
Staff-Sgt. Moshe Naftali, 22, of the Ofra settlement, was killed by a fellow soldier during a firefight with one of the terrorists immediately following the attack, according to preliminary investigation findings. Naftali and members of his Golani unit were the first on the scene of the attack.
The soldier’s parents were informed on Aug. 26.
"Staff Sgt. Moshe Naftali led his soldiers with courage in the face of terrorists and in the coming days the investigation will continue in order to learn lessons to avoid a similar situation in the future," the IDF spokesman’s department said in a statement.
The soldier who fired the fatal bullet will not be held responsible for the soldier’s death, according to the newspaper Israel Hayom.
