Elite IDF unit halts training after two accidents in two weeks, probes cover up

Army to investigate why serious injuries in Maglan unit were not reported fully or immediately; soldier said denied medical treatment for 24 hours

The IDF partially suspended training exercises for an elite unit as it launched an inquiry into two incidents where soldiers were injured in the past two weeks, the army said in a statement Sunday. It was also reportedly looking into a possible cover up, after one soldier did not receive medical treatment for 24 hours.

On Wednesday, a member of the Maglan unit was seriously injured during a training exercise while jumping from a moving vehicle into a thorn bush the army said. He reportedly injured his back, possibly from landing on a rock hidden under the thorns. He was operated on in hospital. The army said that, contrary to reports in Hebrew media, the soldier was not expected to suffer permanent paralysis.

A second soldier was moderately injured in his upper body a week earlier, during krav maga self-defense training.

The Kan national broadcaster reported that the training was done without authorization and the officer in charge refused to send the soldier for medical treatment to avoid an inquiry into the incident. The soldier was reportedly only sent for treatment 24 hours later, after the pain worsened.

The army announced it had opened two investigations into the incidents. The first, appointed by Central Command, Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, will look at the regular conduct of the unit. The second investigation, under Maj. Gen. Kobi Barak, head of the IDF’s Ground Forces, will examine how the soldier came to be injured during self-defense training.

Ynet news reported that both investigations will examine why the incidents were not fully reported immediately to the commander of the Maglan unit and to the head of the commando units.

The army stressed that, “The incidents will be thoroughly investigated and lessons will be learned.”

Parents of soldiers in the unit claimed to Ynet news that routine training for the soldiers regularly crossed the threshold into violence. They also complained of the secrecy surrounding the activities of the unit, and said they relied on the officers and commanders to keep their children safe.

Maglan is a special elite unit that operates behind enemy lines. The unit’s 18 months of training is among the most strenuous in the IDF.