The officer who accidentally shot and killed his two Egoz unit mates was charged with causing their deaths by negligence | Israel Hayom

The incident in the Egoz unit: The MAG Corps filed an indictment in the military court against the officer with the rank of lieutenant who fired and caused the accidental death of two company commanders in the Egoz unit, Maj. Itamar Elharar and Maj. Ofek Aharon. The indictment was filed after a hearing was held for the officer, with his lawyers from the military defense attorney.

According to the indictment, during a week of training by the Egoz unit, in a firing zone near the Nabi Musa base, the officer was negligent in that he went out at night, alone and without informing his commanders, to search for a night vision device stolen from the unit. He was also negligent in that during the patrol, the officer cocked the weapon he was carrying. At the same time, Maj. Elharar z"l and Maj. Aharon z"l, together with two others, went on a field tour.

The force, unaware of the officer's departure for patrol, identified him as a suspicious figure and followed him. At some point, the officer noticed figures pointing weapons at him from a short distance and fired at them. Only later, shortly after the shooting, did the officer discover that it was Maj. Elharar z"l and Maj. Aharon z"l.

Nabi Musa. The scene of the accidental shooting, photo: Oren Ben Hakon

Attorneys Ram Jean and Attorney Captain Yossi Elbaz, who represent Lieutenant N. on behalf of the military defense attorney, said:
"This is a serious disaster that has left Lieutenant N. with an unbearable burden and he shares in the tremendous pain of the families. At the same time, this is an incident that should not and should not have been brought to legal proceedings and the filing of an indictment, and we can only regret the decision of the Military Advocate General's Office. This will be clarified in detail during the legal process itself."

Attorney Ran Cohen Rochberger, who is accompanying the bereaved families, said: "The family members of Maj. Itamar Elharar z"l and Maj. Ofek Aharon z"l welcome the decision of the MAG Corps to file the indictment. This is the right and necessary decision, both legally and morally. The indictment that was filed reflects the gross negligence of Lieutenant N. that led to the boys' fall in the terrible disaster. The families hope justice will be done in the legal process."

Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us