IDF officer moderately hurt as soldier’s gun goes off during exercise

An IDF officer is moderately injured after he was shot by one of his soldiers during an exercise before the unit was meant to take position in the West Bank city of Hebron, the military says.

The officer is taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

This is the second case of an accidental discharge within that Golani Brigade battalion in the past week, after a similar incident last Friday in which no injuries were reported.

The IDF says the head of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, has halted all exercises in his units in response to the incident until an initial investigation can be completed. In addition, the head of the Gaash Division, Brig. Gen. Avi Gil, also calls off all exercises in the Golani Brigade until the matter can be investigated.

The Military Police have also opened a probe into the incident to determine if a crime was committed, the IDF says.

— Judah Ari Gross