An Israeli fighter jet dropped a bomb near an Israeli community on the Gaza border on Tuesday night as a result of what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called a “technical malfunction.”
The bomb fell near the Nir Yithzak kibbutz adjacent to southern Gaza, which sits approximately two miles from the border.
“A short while ago, a munition fell from an IDF fighter jet that was on its way to a mission in the Gaza Strip. The munition landed in an open area near Nir Yitzhak due to a technical malfunction,” the Israeli military said in a short statement.
The IDF did not say what type of bomb it was.
There are no injuries as a result of the bomb falling, the military said, and the incident is now under review.
A spokesman for Nir Yitzhak said the bomb landed in the village’s farm area.
The kibbutz is in contact with military officials and expects a thorough investigation, the spokesman said.
According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Nir Yitzhak has a population of approximately 550 people.
It was one of the villages that came under attack in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
According to an interview in Israel’s YNet news in February, about half of the kibbutz has returned to live in the community.
The incident is extraordinarily rare, but not entirely unprecedented.
Last May, an Israeli fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on the community of Yated, which neighbors Nir Yitzhak.
The munition did not explode and was collected by Israeli forces.
One month later, an Israeli tank shell fired in southern Gaza deviated from its target and impacted near the border fence, according to the IDF.
Shrapnel damaged a car in southern Israel as a result of the impact.
