A number of soldiers became dehydrated during the training exercise in which Corporal Hillel Ofen collapsed and died yesterday, according to one of Ofen's colleagues.
"We all felt dehydrated even before the training started, we couldn't rest," the friend told Channel 12 News.
He said that Ofen "was not the only soldier who became dehydrated there, there were six other soldiers with him, some of them passed out and needed medical treatment. Throughout the day, the air conditioner in our tent did not work. We were very confused, there was a feeling that it is difficult to trust the system."
During the exercise, the soldiers were required to crawl for 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) starting at midnight. Ofen became dehydrated during the training and fainted. He was later pronounced dead.
Questions have been raised as to why the decision was made to go ahead with the exercise during an intense heat wave in Israel.
Ofen was laid to rest at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem today (Tuesday).