Posted on 03/19/2002 5:00:38 AM PST by a_witness
TEL AVIV (March 19) - OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yitzhak Eitan intends to dismiss the commander of the Nahal haredi battalion and a deputy company commander for their failure to prevent the infiltration of Moshav Hamra last month by a Hamas gunman, who killed a mother and her daughter, as well as a soldier.
Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz has reportedly accepted the recommendations for the severe disciplinary actions after a recent inquiry into the February 6 infiltration of the Jordan Valley settlement.
Regional brigade commander Col. Yehiel Sofer was reprimanded and offered his resignation, which was accepted.
The IDF Spokesman also confirmed that the commander of the Nahal haredi battalion, Maj. Adi, would be relieved of command.
The incident was a grave embarrassment to the battalion, which had been showcased as a way to integrate haredi youth into the IDF. The number of inductees has increased steadily since the inception of Nahal units two years ago. They recently became a full battalion and were deployed in the relatively quiet Jordan Valley.
But on February 6, the inquiry found, the soldiers lacked a fighting spirit and allowed a lone gunman to shoot his way past them into the settlement and take hostages.
The inquiry was incredulous that the gunman had succeeded in breaching the defenses. It noted that the settlement had been put on alert, residents were ordered to stay in their homes, and reinforcements were in place around the moshav to stop infiltrators.
It said that soldiers from the air force assigned to guard the settlement failed to adequately confront the gunman. The inquiry was particularly harsh regarding the deputy company commander of a Nahal haredi unit, who rushed to the scene with his troops, but failed to charge the gunman or shoot him down.
The battalion commander was faulted for his slow response and delay in confronting the gunman, who fired seven magazines of bullets from his automatic rifle and broke into the home of Miri Ohana and killed her and her daughter, Yael. The gunman, wearing an IDF uniform, also killed St.-Sgt. Maj. (res.) Moshe Majos Meconen and wounded two soldiers of the Nahal company.
The terrorist was eventually shot dead by an officer.
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