The commander of the Paran brigade, Col. Ido Saad, decided to end the manning of standing positions at a distance of tens of meters from the Egypt border as part of the changes implemented after the investigation of the attack in which three soldiers from the Bardelas Battalion were killed, as reported by Walla! News on Thursday.
Saad decided, with the approval of the brigade commander, Col. Itzik Cohen, that the standing positions would be replaced by patrols in vehicles for only eight hours, instead of the previous 12-hour shifts, contrary to the previous instructions.
Additionally, Saad decided to significantly reduce the shift hours of the on-duty officers in the sector who move throughout the field. This decision was based on the findings of the investigation, which indicated that the long shifts of the officers were unreasonable, affecting the operational readiness and the sharpness of the forces.
In the time preceding the attack, the officers were on duty in the field for several days at a time, for fear of drug smuggling.
The soldiers of the Bardelas Battalion also stated that contrary to what was claimed by the senior command, beneath a cliff in the heart of the Egyptian territory, there is a road that leads directly from the Egyptian policeman's position to the area near the border.
It is likely that the terrorist walked on the road or used a vehicle that transported him, rather than walking through the rocky terrain. However, it is important to note that this issue is still under investigation.
No route opening was done in the morning of the attack
The soldiers reported during the investigation of the attack that it was revealed that the area was't cleared on the morning of the attack, which could have detected the infiltration of the terrorist through the detection of a breach in the fence or traces in the area.
According to the soldiers' assessment, the clearing of the area was not carried out due to the drug smuggling that was thwarted during the night. It should be noted before that the joint investigation between the IDF and the Egyptian Defense Ministry was completed, a military police investigation was also opened into the incident.
An official military source stated in response that "at present, the defense system in the area has become mobile instead of stationary and the duration of tasks has been shortened. The battalions participated in relevant training exercises and there were exchanges of battalions between the Yoav sector and the Paran brigade sector."
Regarding the failure clear the area at the border, the source said, "clearing the area is carried out on a wide scale in one sector per week, and in certain areas, based on the situational assessment, daily route opening is done. The point of the attack is not an area where daily route opening is conducted."
The IDF stated, "Following the attack that occurred on the Egyptian border, immediate lessons were learned regarding the conduct of the forces. The findings of the operational investigation were presented to the families of the fallen soldiers and the public. The IDF shares in the grief of the bereaved families and will continue to support them."