2 metal thieves wounded in IDF training area blast
Tough day at the office for two Bedouin shepherds; metal detector found at blast scene
The two Bedouins were treated at an IDF base nearby before being transferred by helicopter to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba.
One of the shepherds suffered from serious contusions and shrapnel injuries, Deputy Director of Soroka Medical Center, Dr. Shlomi Kodesh, told Ynet. The shepherd was treated by a multidisciplinary team of doctors. The second shepherd only sustained minor shrapnel wounds.
Long history of thefts
This is not the first case where Bedouin shepherds were injured while attempting to gather metals in IDF training areas. In 2004 a one-year old child and his 42-year old Bedouin father were killed gathering shell cartridges near an IDF base in southern Israel. One of the shells exploded in the father's hands and caused their deaths. Four family members were also injured in the blast.
In March of 2006 two Bedouin shepherds were killed and another was injured from a blast in an Air Force training zone in the south of Israel. According to the police report, the three entered the practice area without permission and played with a dud. On the same day a Bedouin father and son were killed in a mortar explosion in an open field near the border with Gaza.
Yonat Atlas contributed to the report
