Sergeant Or Israelov, 19 years old from Bat Yam, an infantry Israel Defense Forces soldier training to be a member of the paratrooper brigade, was killed early Tuesday morning by friendly fire during a drill at a military base in southern Israel. His cousin Moshe Zahavi spoke with reporters and said: "He had big plans, he also thought about becoming a commander, full of dreams and ambitions. Everything was cut off in seconds." Or's mother, who had a hard time speaking with the reporters simply said: "They took my child."
Zahavi added that "next week we were supposed to accompany him on a military hike marking the end of his training, we had already started preparations, printing shirts and more. And that's how it ended. It's important to me that they remember that he really was, the so-called, 'creme dela creme' - the ideal child for every parent. The ultimate cousin, a stunning child to his parents, a good and loving brother."
Sergeant Or Israelov, 19, was killed during a training accident at a military base in the south of Israel
— RedBrasco - RedLehi (@redbrasco) June 27, 2023
He was promoted from Corporal to the rank of sergeant after his death.
The IDF shares in the family's grief and will continue to accompany it.
May his memory be blessed pic.twitter.com/t31k82T2Xu
Zahavi also said that Israelov "dreamed of enlisting in the IDF, and spent a great deal of time preparing for this service. He had big dreams in this context and not only in this context, dreams of every child his age - meaningful service, academic studies, family."
A neighbor from the neighborhood kiosk, who knew Or from a young age, said that he was "a child worthy to the glory of the State of Israel." According to her, he comes from "a lovely family, my heart aches. We are in shock. A happy and smiling child, how sad to lose a child from the neighborhood."
The IDF spokesman stated that "the circumstances of the case are being investigated in the field by the commanders and the military police have opened an investigation into the incident, upon completion the findings will be forwarded to the military attorney's office for consideration. In addition, the commander of the ground division, Major General Tamir Yedai, ordered a training curfew for all IDF units until a reminder of safety procedures is completed. Senior army officers arrived at the family's home, including the Paratroopers' Brigade Lt. Col. Ami Biton, and the commander of the Paratroopers' Brigade, Lt. Col. Oded Ziman.
SGT Or Israelov, who died overnight from IDF fire, was aged 18 from Bat Yam. He served as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade. Or was promoted in rank from Corporal to Sergeant after his death. pic.twitter.com/sVwqfJSKjS
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 27, 2023
The incident took place at the training base in Pipon which is a Paratrooper brigade training site close to Kiryat Gat, where the brigade's recruits undergo training. The drill was part of a nightly departmental or company exercise in the live fire area of the base and during its second day.
