Child hit by stray bullet while fishing
Police, IDF believe bullet shot from firing range in military base near Nitzanim beach
An initial inquiry revealed that the boy, Dar Shay, was apparently hit by a stray bullet fired from an IDF firing range at a nearby training base. The army and the police launched an investigation into the incident.
Military sources said that the child, who was out fishing with his father, may have been sitting in a closed area in the beach despite a number of signs in the area prohibiting civilians' entry.
An IDF official explained that because the area was defined as a nature reserve, the area cannot be fenced.
However, the father's child, Beri Shay, insisted that there was no sign in the area.
"There were many other fishermen there, and not far from us teenagers were holding a birthday party. This is an official beach which collects an entry fee, and there is no reason in the world why civilians should get hurt there, and definitely not by gunshots fired from a firing range," the father told Ynet on Tuesday morning.
"All we did was spend a night on the beach fishing in order to relieve emotional tension, and returned with an injured child with an M16 bullet stuck in his buttocks. Only a miracle prevented him from being hit in the intestine or spinal column," he added.
'Dad, I was hit'
According to the father, he went fishing with his son and a friend on Monday evening. At around 10 pm, the child suddenly fell off his chair and said," Dad, I was hit. I don’t know from where."
"I didn’t understand what happened," the father said. "He was all wet because he had just come back from swimming in the sea, and I did not notice the bleeding. I asked him to get into the sea and wash himself. When we came out of the water I saw the trail of blood on his thigh.
"At first I didn’t understand what it was, but in order to save time and lose more blood, I decided to take the child to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. The doctors, and we, were astonished to discover that a bullet had entered from one side of his buttocks to the other side."
The Shay family is angry, but also thanking God for the fact that the bullet did not injure any vital organ. The family members decided to transfer Dar to the Sheba Medical Center on a private ambulance. The doctors have yet to decide whether to remove the bullet or let it absorb into the child's body.
IDF officials said in response to the incident, "Our first move was to stop all shooting practices at the base until the investigation is completed. It appears that our security instructions were upheld.
"It's a pity that civilians ignore signs warning of danger. We will look into the incident in order to reduce the chance for such things to happen in the future."
