In the IDF, criticism is growing over the training exercise yesterday during which Corporal Hillel Nehemia Ofen collapsed and died on one of the hottest days of the year.
The late Ofen, 20 years old from Carmei Tzur, will be laid to rest Tuesday evening at 5:00 PM in the military section at Mount Herzl Cemetery in Jerusalem.
The army continues to investigate the circumstances that led to the tragic death and a preliminary investigation shows that the commanders claimed that after taking a temperature measurement which they believed allowed the training to take place, they approved the exercise.
Walla! reports that a few hours after the training - which consisted mostly of crawling - started, a team commander noticed the deceased lying on the ground unconscious. He called the unit's paramedic who tried to perform CPR without success and an Air Force doctor pronounced him dead.
A military official wondered, "Why was it necessary to hold this training in such a hot period, it could have been postponed for a few weeks while we waited for the temperature to drop?"
As of now, the investigation has not yet been completed, and therefore the IDF still does not know what the exact cause of death was.
Parallel to the investigation led by the Chief Engineering Officer, Brigadier General Ido Mizrahi, a team of experts headed by the commander of the 679th Brigade, Major General Elad Efrati, was appointed to examine broad and systemic issues. The Military Police is also working to investigate suspected negligence at the command level in everything related to the management of the training.