Heavy disaster in the commando brigade. On Thursday, a force from the Egoz unit went out to search for thieves at night, and came under deadly fire, firing at the unit’s fighter, who mistakenly thought of them as terrorists. Two officers in the unit were killed immediately: Major Itamar Elharar, 26, from Moshav Bnei Ram Captain Ofek Aharon, 28, of Magen Yavne.
In the morning, Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi arrived at the scene of the accident in the Jordan Valley. Major General Kochavi has appointed Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon to head a committee to investigate the incident. The investigating military police also opened an investigation.
“Tonight’s event is extremely difficult and very unfortunate,” the chief of staff said at the scene of the incident. “The preservation of human life is at the forefront of our minds, and it is our duty to thoroughly investigate the incident and draw lessons from it in all areas, on all issues and at all levels of command.”
During Wednesday night, Lt. Col. Kochavi received updates on the difficult incident, and in the early hours of Thursday morning he decided to come to the scene to see up close the operational interrogation process. ” “,” He said. At the same time, I ordered a curfew of activity throughout the army, with the aim of learning about the recent events in the IDF. “We must all study them, deepen them and apply the lessons accordingly.”
This is the second fatal accident in the IDF in ten days, after two pilots perished last Monday in a helicopter crash of an Air Force serving in the Navy, off the coast of Haifa.
“We must not miss any section, in order to prevent the next incident,” said the chief of staff. .
The initial operational investigation is being conducted by the commander of the Central Command, Major General Yehuda Fox. “We lost two serious officers in Walnut, who predicted a great future for them in the continuation of service,” Fox praised them. “Two officers before graduation and before promotions to senior positions as early as this summer. These are the best we have.”
Fox described the course of the disaster: “The incident took place near range batteries, at the end of which were tents that were ready for training. The night before the incident, a night-vision device and a helmet were stolen. The officers ended the training day and briefed the soldiers. Forces on their own: A team commander went out with a weapon and a night-vision device to scan and search for the thief – and without knowing it, four more, three officers and one soldier went out at the same time to similarly search for thieves. .
At this point the disaster was almost inevitable, as the shooter did not know about the activities of his comrades and they did not know about him. The shooter walked in a space that was feared for the presence of suspects, following the events of the previous night. “During all this time the shooter scanned the area at night and saw nothing suspicious. He came to the realization that there was nothing in the arena, but then he heard a noise behind him, turned around – and so in fact the forces encountered a very short range, pointing weapons at each other. An enemy, and they are convinced he is the enemy. “
The question of who was the first to open fire is still being investigated. “There was a very short-range encounter here, with misidentification and a sense of danger and opening fire,” Fox concluded. “This incident lasted a few seconds, and while shouting was heard they realized it was our forces and began to treat the casualties. Our understanding from the scene is that the dead also fired (at the lone shooter, NA) and did not hit him. We do not know who fired first, but my assessment is that he fired first and hit them. “
Medical forces from the Armored Battalion were rushed to the scene of the disaster with MDA, and the fighters at the shooting scene began to carry out personal treatment of the injured – but their deaths were determined on the spot.
“If I understand the scene, I do not think it would have been necessary in such a case to fire in the air,” the commander of the Central Command said of the fighter’s decision to open fire at the two. “He identified at short range two people with weapons in front of his face, and realized he did not have a single second. He, for his part, went into an ambush. The officers went there in a movement of fighters and he did not know it. There are people in the encampment who knew about the patrol, but the forces themselves did not know “In addition, I understand that they were not protected by helmets.”