An IDF soldier who carried out an inspection of weapons in the Givati Brigade's patrol battalion accidentally fired a bullet into a military vehicle Tuesday. No one was injured, but the windshield was damaged.
The grave incident occurred Tuesday afternoon at an outpost in the Yitzhar area of Samaria. Two soldiers - an optical specialist and a weapons inspector - approached the guard to inspect his weapons.
One of the soldiers examined the sights of the weapon as he sat in the driver's seat, and the other soldier took the weapon while he sat in the passenger's seat. As the second soldier examined the weapon, a bullet was fired into the windshield.
No one was injured in the incident. The front windshield of the military vehicle was smashed to pieces. The IDF made it clear that the incident would be investigated by the battalion commander and that the conclusions of the investigation will be well studied.
The inspections unit, which was born out of the Safety and Quality Control Department (MCAA), is meant to serve as a professional body in the field of safety and prevention of accidents and casualties in the IDF.
Col. Oded Bar-Maoz, chief safety officer, said, "We provide professional, safe advice to the command echelon at every level - from the chief of staff to the commander of the unit. We carry out preliminary staff work, such as training for units and commanders in the field, predicting processes and implementing risk management, as well as retroactively, through learning from reporting and investigating safety events."
"We must implement the lessons to the end after a safety event has happened and learn what needs to be improved, certainly if someone is hurt," he said.
"We see the promotion of the safety culture in the IDF as a duty, but also as a right to influence and assimilate in generations," said Col. Bar-Maoz. "We see the promotion of the safety culture in the IDF as a duty, Soldiers who will be the next citizens of the State of Israel norms of safety and human life."