Near Disaster at Sea: IAF Fighter Jet Drops Bomb 100 Meters From Israeli Ship 

A dramatic and alarming near-miss occurred this week when an Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jet, scrambled for a mission supporting ground troops in the Gaza Strip, dropped a munition that landed dangerously close to an Israeli Navy vessel. The incident, which happened on Wednesday, could have resulted in a significant friendly fire disaster but, miraculously, ended without any casualties. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched an investigation into the matter.

The highly unusual event took place around 3:00 PM. An IAF jet released a bomb that struck the water just 100 meters from an Israeli Navy Dvora-class patrol boat. Preliminary findings from the ongoing military investigation suggest the near-tragedy was caused by a technical malfunction in the munition itself.

This close call is the latest in a series of alarming incidents where IAF ordnance has gone astray, highlighting persistent concerns over equipment reliability. Just months prior, in April, a heavy bomb fell near Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. A resident, Zamir Chaimi, described the moment the bomb dropped: "There was a huge explosion, this could have been a great tragedy. We expect the army to learn lessons and implement the conclusions." The IDF attributed that incident to a "technical malfunction."

One month later, another munition dropped from an attack helicopter near the border fence in the Western Negev. In that case, too, the IDF announced an investigation and cited a technical failure as the cause. Fortunately, all these incidents, including the near-sinking of the Dvora vessel, resulted in no physical injuries.

The incident off the Gaza coast, however, is particularly grave due to the proximity of the friendly vessel, underscoring the high-stakes environment in which Israeli forces are operating. The investigation will focus on the specific technical failure that caused the munition to fall off target and will aim to prevent similar friendly fire risks in the future. The repeated nature of these technical failures with munitions poses a serious logistical and operational challenge for the Israeli military as operations continue.