Details of incident in which Egoz soldiers were killed revealed – Israel News

by Junna Base November 5, 2024

On Tuesday, new information was released through statements from commanders and soldiers on the incident that killed the five Egoz soldiers in southern Lebanon in late October.

Testimony collected from interviews with fighters and commanders showed that troops on the ground debated whether to enter the building with cover fire to rule out the presence of terrorists or to enter secretly to avoid force exposure to avoid.

Ultimately, it was decided to enter secretly, based on the assessment that it was deserted and there were no terrorists present. The decision to enter the building was made based on intelligence information.

When the emergency services entered the three-story building, one of the soldiers saw a terrorist sleeping in a corner of the room.

According to the investigation, the soldier shot at the terrorist and killed him. From that moment on, there was an exchange of gunfire inside and outside the building, during which it became clear that a soldier was inside the building, raising serious concerns that he was either alive and being held captive, killed, or kidnapped .

IDF announces names of fallen soldiers. (Source: IDF Spokesperson Unit)

During the fighting, the troops had to fire at the building and even considered throwing grenades at the terrorists, but they did not know whether the soldier was alive or not.

Fallen Soldier Sergeant First Class Gai Ben-Haroosh, October 24, 2024. (Source: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S Unit)

During these long minutes, the soldiers called out to the fighter, but he did not answer.

At some point, a local commander decided to open fire on the building to kill the terrorists.

The investigation also revealed that additional soldiers and commanders arrived in the area of the building to assist in the fighting and the evacuation of the wounded.

During the exchange of fire and rescue attempts, part of the command chain was killed and wounded.

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The soldiers’ parents claim they heard from commanders and soldiers involved in the incident that air support and evacuation were inadequate and that a thorough investigation was needed to learn lessons. The same applies to delayed artillery cover.

In fact, the soldiers were left alone during this time as the terrain made communication difficult and some commanders did not intercept the communications network.

According to military sources, the fighters and commanders called for help over the communications network, but there was no immediate response.

Later, reinforcements from the unit arrived and faced what they called “hellish fire” from the terrorists.

At some point, the Egoz unit commander ordered the other teams to abort their missions and provide urgent assistance to the armed forces.

The soldiers reached the building through thick undergrowth, making it extremely difficult to reach and evacuate the building where the terrorists were hiding.

According to witnesses, some of the forces encountered mortar fire, which prevented them from advancing and caused injuries.

The wounded were evacuated on dozens of stretchers under fire over a distance of two kilometers.

The soldiers criticized the cover fire that was supposed to support them during combat operations and the evacuation, and, among other things, they criticized the evacuation planning and execution.

Military sources who reviewed the initial investigation details said: “In addition to the courageous actions of the commanders and fighters, especially the medical personnel of this Egoz platoon, who operated under fire and flying bullets, the chief of staff must order a comprehensive investigation in all areas.” To learn lessons for the entire army, even though it was a war. What bridged the gaps was courage and bravery.”

IDF comments in response

The IDF spokesman responded: “The commanders and soldiers of the Egoz unit were at the forefront of the IDF fight throughout the war.”

“Similarly, in this encounter, the unit’s fighters and commanders maintained contact and fought the battle in difficult conditions, displaying bravery and front-line leadership under fire.”

“The initial lessons learned from the incident have been integrated into ongoing combat operations and the investigation into the event is ongoing and is currently at an advanced stage.

“The initial results of the investigation have been presented to the bereaved and once the investigation is completed, they will be communicated to them in full,” the IDF said.

“Following the incident, leadership meetings were held within the unit to learn from it. In addition, the unit’s fighters continued their professional service in other areas and achieved significant successes,” the military further explained.

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