Soldier from elite combat unit sent to prison after mistakenly firing gun

Three other officers censured over incident in which no one was injured.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
An IDF soldier (illustrative) (photo credit: REUTERS)
An IDF soldier (illustrative)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A soldier in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit was sentenced to 20 days in prison, and three officers were reprimanded after the soldier accidentally fired his handgun indoors on a base in central Israel, the military said on Monday.
The soldier, a Krav Maga instructor in the elite unit, accidentally discharged his handgun while in his room at the unit’s Sirkin Base in central Israel on May 4.
No one was injured in the incident.
The head of the IDF’s Ground Forces, Maj.-Gen. Yoel Strick ordered a full investigation by a committee led by Col. Barak Rubin, who commands the reservist Alon Brigade, and several quality control officers who specialize in infantry safety and firearms.
Despite no injuries having occurred in the incident, the committee reviewed the military’s safety protocols and recommended a series of disciplinary measures against those involved in the incident.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen. Aviv Kochavi was also given a report of the committee’s findings.
The military said that Strick “received their recommendations and ordered a number of professional directives to refresh and clarify safety protocols.”
The Krav Maga instructor was tried before the military’s chief engineering officer, kicked out of the Yahalom Unit and sentenced to 20 days in prison.
The head of the Yahalom Unit, a colonel, received an official censure on his record. The commander of the unit’s training school, an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, was officially reprimanded and will not be eligible for promotion in rank for the next two years. The officer responsible for teaching fighting techniques in the unit, a captain, was also removed from his position.
“The IDF will continue to fully investigate every irregular incident, especially safety violations, in order to learn and improve, and to prevent additional safety incidents in the future,” the military said.
Earlier in June an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel was seriously injured during a live-fire exercise held in southern Israel near Tze’elim after being shot in the abdomen by another commander.
A preliminary investigation into that incident has found that the officer, who was in charge of a live-fire drill conducted with another unit, crossed the line of fire without coordinating with the other forces and was then accidentally shot in the stomach by another officer.
The drill was being held in an area mimicking urban areas that had been recently constructed at the base; the commander who accidentally shot the officer had been inside one of the buildings.
The investigation found there was no flaw in the conduct of the officer who fired the bullet.
The injured officer’s condition has since improved.