IDF soldier injured during paratrooper exercise

Commando rushed to hospital in helicopter after accident in northern Israel; army grounds parachuting drills for 36 hours

By Judah Ari Gross 17 May 2017, 8:08 pm

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Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

Paratroopers make their way down to earth during a parachuting exercise in central Israel on February 19, 2014. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit/Flickr)

An IDF soldier was injured during a paratrooper exercise in northern Israel on Wednesday, the army said.

The soldier was taken by helicopter in moderate condition from the Mahanayim air base, near Rosh Pina, to Haifa’s Rambam medical center for treatment.

The soldier serves in the elite Maglan unit, which is part of the army’s Commando Brigade and is known for operating deep behind enemy lines.

The details of the accident were not immediately clear, but the army said it appeared as though his parachute had failed to open.

The head of the IDF Ground Forces, which is responsible for paratrooper training, grounded all jumps for the next 36 hours as the military conducts an investigation into the incident, an army spokesperson said.

It was the second parachuting incident in two days: On Tuesday, a soldier’s primary canopy didn’t open, forcing him to use his auxiliary chute, according to a Channel 10 news report.