An investigation into the death of an Israeli army officer last month in an exchange of fire with two Palestinians in the northern West Bank highlighted “mistakes” made by troops, the military revealed on Thursday.
The officer, Major Bar Falah, 30, deputy commander of the Nahal battalion’s reconnaissance unit, was killed in a clash at the West Bank security fence near the Palestinian village of Jalamah on September 14, as he attempted to arrest two gunmen, Abd al-Rahman Abed and Ahmad Iman Abed.
According to the military’s final investigation, the two men were spotted shortly before midnight by soldiers, about 50 feet from a military post in the so-called seam zone between the West Bank and Israel.
Soldiers stationed in the area began an arrest procedure which consisted of warnings and shooting in the air.
The suspects did not respond to the soldiers, who were also unaware that they were armed and planning an attack.
Colonel Arik Moyal, the commander of the Menashe Brigade, along with Falah and his soldiers, were then dispatched to the scene.
When the two suspects were spotted again in the early hours of the morning, Moyal’s team advanced from the fence area and Falah’s team began crawling behind them, seeking to apprehend them.
The two gunmen then opened fire on the troops who were only a few feet away. Falah was hit and seriously wounded, but still managed to shoot several times before dying, according to the inquest.
Both gunmen, one of whom was a member of the Palestinian Authority security services, were killed in the ensuing shootout. The army suspects that the two men had planned to ambush the troops stationed in the nearby post.
The military inquiry praised the troops for having “succeeded in their defense mission and thwarting an attack on the Israeli home front, at the painful cost of the fall of Major Bar Falah.”
Army brass, however, noted “errors” concerning “the method chosen to isolate the area where the terrorists were.”
“Despite its unfortunate results, this was an attack that was foiled and harm to civilians was avoided,” military chief Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said.
On Wednesday, the army informed the families of the two gunmen that it intended to demolish their homes, a policy Israel often undertakes in response to fatalities among its ranks or civilian population. They have the possibility to appeal the decision. i24 News –
