Soldier collapses and dies after Krav Maga training
Sgt. Yosef Haim Tzvi Serlin, 19, was in combat training with Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504; Military Police investigating
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A soldier collapsed and died following Krav Maga training overnight, the military announced on Wednesday morning
The soldier was named by the Israel Defense Forces as Sgt. Yosef Haim Tzvi Serlin, 19.
Serlin, from Jerusalem, was in combat training in the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504, which specializes in HUMINT, or human intelligence. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.
The military said he collapsed following the training at an army base in northern Israel, was treated by medics, and taken to a hospital where his death was declared.
The IDF Military Police launched an investigation into the incident, and the findings will be sent to the Military Advocate General for examination, the army added.
In addition to the Military Police probe, the chief of the Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder appointed a panel of experts to investigate the incident.
The panel of experts was to be headed by Brig. Gen. “Resh,” the head of the Combat Methods and Innovation Division, a unit under the Planning and Force Design Directorate. The senior officer was identified only by his rank and first initial in Hebrew.
Additionally, the commander of the IDF Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan ordered a halt to Krav Maga training in the military until Sunday, while the investigation was carried out.
On Monday, a soldier was moderately injured in a parachuting training accident in southern Israel.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldier’s parachute failed to correctly deploy, causing him to fall to the ground faster than usual.
He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
