An israel Defense Forces (IDF) military court has indicted three officers for negligence in the drowning of Sergeant Evyatar Yosefi during a navigation exercise in January 2019 in the Hilazon Stream near the northern Israeli city of Karmiel.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Yosefi, who was part of the Gadsar Nahal special forces unit, slipped on the riverbank and fell into the stream during the exercise. His partner, who was completing the drill with him, tried to throw him a rope, but Yosefi couldn't hold onto it. He was found dead by rescue personnel around two hours later, about 100 meters from where he fell into the stream. According to the Times of Israel, the Hilazon was “swollen from the previous night's rainfall.”
An investigation into Yosefi's death revealed that multiple officers had violated orders and not performed their duties, the Times reported. According to Military Advocate-General Sharon Afek, the officers did not prepare for inclement weather and did not follow safety instructions.
Five army officers were summoned in July 2019 for a hearing to determine if charges would be filed against them. Following the hearing's conclusion on Wednesday, Afek filed charges against three of the five officials – the battalion commander, the deputy company commander and the team leader – for noncompliance with military instructions and negligence. All three officers agreed to plead guilty to their crimes to receive lighter sentences.
According to the…
