An IDF soldier died on Thursday after being shot inside a military base in northern Israel, marking another fatal incident within IDF facilities in recent days.
Following the shooting, the soldier was evacuated in critical condition to a hospital, where medical teams later pronounced him dead despite efforts to save his life.
The IDF announced that the Military Police Investigation Unit has launched a formal probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident, and that its conclusions will be forwarded to the military prosecution for further examination.
The death comes amid a troubling pattern. Just nine days earlier, on December 16, another IDF soldier was fatally wounded by gunfire inside a northern base. That soldier was also rushed to the hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries.
Earlier this month, the IDF publicized the conclusions of an expert committee that examined the March 2025 death of Sergeant Yosef Haim Tzvi Serlin, a trainee in Unit 504 who was killed during a military exercise.
According to the committee’s findings, Serlin sustained his injuries during a “corridor” hand-to-hand combat drill, an exercise not included in the unit’s standard training regimen. The drill involved soldiers moving one by one through a confined passage while being physically assaulted by fellow trainees, with the intention of testing their defensive reactions.
The investigation concluded that the exercise was carried out in violation of standing orders and safety guidelines and lacked appropriate oversight. In response, the Head of the Infantry and Paratroopers Corps ordered the immediate and total cancellation of the corridor drill throughout all IDF units.
The recommendations of the committee were accepted by the Head of Military Intelligence, Major General Shlomi Binder, who directed a series of disciplinary measures. These included a formal reprimand for the commander of Unit 504, Brigadier General D., a six-year demotion for the unit’s combat commander, Lieutenant Colonel Y., and the dismissal of three additional officers from the unit.
{Matzav.com}
What the article describes as an unauthorized “corridor hand-to-hand combat drill” that was “in violation of standing orders and safety guidelines and lacked appropriate oversight” sounds like what in the USA is called a “hazing ritual”. Because of that, I read this article as saying that the IDF is covering up “hazing rituals” in their ranks.
Not necessarily. It could be that a legitimate training exercise was done improperly or that it wasn’t legit, just someone wanted to do it anyways. Being that I didn’t hear about this in the Israeli (Hebrew) media, it may be covered up or impossible to investigate completely.
Don’t worry, there will be a thorough enquiry to reveal the scope of these types of incidence in the IDF…right after they finish the inquiry over the gross and criminal negligence that led to October 7th and all those responsible have been arrested.
You can start holding your breath now.