The soldier who was attacked by civilian criminals who stole his weapon during an exercise was acting according to IDF norms and rules, the army said on Wednesday.
Last week, during a navigation exercise, two suspects attacked the soldier – who is currently in the training phase for a commando unit. The attackers managed to steal his weapon and flee the scene.
The army had conducted an investigation into the case and presented its findings to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi on Wednesday.
According to the report, the soldier wrestled with the attackers and wounded them. After they ran away, the soldier called up his commanders, who tried to chase the attackers, but with no success.
An IDF Spokesperson’s Unit statement said that the investigation did not find flaws in the way the soldier responded to the attack.
“The soldier did not understand that he was in danger until they started attacking him,” the statement reads.
After receiving the reports, the chief of staff said this was a unique incident that should be studied in all IDF units.
This comes after the commander of the Egoz Unit reportedly criticized the soldier for his behavior.
“A combat warrior who can’t beat two men in Krav Maga and they manage to grab his rifle can’t be a combat warrior in Egoz. Even in combat I will not accept kidnapping,” the unit commander wrote to his officers in a text message.
“I am sorry, but this is my basic demand in a unit. No captives, no stealing of weapons – fighting to create contact [with the enemy] until we win!”
The IDF later issued a statement saying that the commander was wrong for sending out this message.
Earlier this week, the commander clarified that he did not mean that the soldier cannot continue in his training, and said that he called him and sent his “warm hug from afar in these hard moments.”