On Sunday, the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, mandated the imposition of a safety curfew across all IDF units, following a sequence of safety-related incidents occurring in recent weeks.
The curfew entails the suspension of several activities, with priority accorded to safety inspections, operational reviews, and dedicated training. This directive was issued in response to multiple incidents, including the accidental discharge of a round from an armored personnel carrier, shell discharges in various units, a vehicle falling into a ditch, a vehicle driving over a mine in the north, and a combat soldier falling into a cistern.
This succession of grave malfunctions has necessitated a comprehensive situation assessment, with the curfew anticipated to remain in effect until tomorrow, to evaluate operational procedures and reinforce safety protocols across all units—even amid combat periods characterized by increased enemy contact and intensive operations.
A safety curfew may comprise one or more of the following measures: cessation of select physical training exercises, suspension of non-essential operational missions, technical evaluations of weaponry or equipment, specialized safety instruction, and restriction of movement for specific military vehicles.
Typically, a safety curfew is instituted after a critical accident or a succession of incidents that indicate potential systemic failure, to investigate the causes and verify that no deficiencies exist which may jeopardize soldier safety.
The decision to enforce a curfew is made by senior echelons of military command.