The IDF will open an "in-depth investigation" after a video on social media showed an IDF tank nearly shelling a soldier who appears to be standing in the line of fire, the army said in a statement Tuesday.
"The incident seen in the video is serious and completely deviates from the IDF's safety instructions," the statement says. "There will be an in-depth investigation, and penalties will be imposed. There were no casualties in the incident."
צה"ל איתר את המעורבים בסרטון המטורלל עם התותח שהפגיז מול חיילת שנעמדה מולו במכוון, ובניגוד חמור להוראות - וצפוי להענישם.דו"צ: "האירוע הנראה בסרטון חמור וחורג בתכלית מהוראות הבטיחות בצה״ל. תחקיר מעמיק בנושא יתקיים בהקדם ועונשים ינקטו. אין נפגעים באירוע" pic.twitter.com/NSjiwHVO38
— יואב זיתון (@yoavzitun) December 19, 2023
The three-second video, which circulated on Israeli social media on Monday, appears to show a clear violation of army protocol.
A disaster narrowly avoided
The female soldier is seen standing close to the cannon rather than remaining outside a safety radius, and she is not wearing a bulletproof vest. The incident could have resulted in disaster.
The incident comes after 20 IDF soldiers have been killed in friendly fire incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.