Troops sleep while Palestinians infiltrate Israel

Several days ago six IDF soldiers fell asleep while on ambush near the Israel- Egypt border, allowing two Palestinians to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip, Ynet learned Tuesday.

The troops were consequently dismissed of duty and sent to jail. IDF sources admitted that this was a very serious incident that could have resulted in soldiers being abducted.

Several infiltration attempts had been foiled in the same area in the past. The IDF operates on the premise that every infiltration could result in a terror attack.

The combat soldiers, five of them members of the Engineering Corps' A.B.C regiment and another one serving as the unit's commander, set up the ambush near Mount Harif and stayed at the place throughout the night. The soldiers had apparently taken turns sleeping, although this is forbidden during an ambush.

At some point all six soldiers fell asleep, and so failed to notice that a jeep driven by a Bedouin had arrived at the border fence less than 330 feet from where they were stationed, picked up two Palestinian men arriving from the Gazan side and drove away.

The Palestinians, who apparently were not armed, had been taken to the West Bank, and the IDF believes that they are not involved in terrorist activity.

'Incident highly irregular'

Head of the Sagi Brigade Colonel Air Avivi, who investigated the incident, found that the troops – who have been operating in the area for over a year – failed in their mission, and dismissed them. The force's commander was sent to 28 in military prison, while the other troops received a 21-day prison sentence.

However, Colonel Avivi noted that the incident was an isolated one and highly uncharacteristic of the regiment's soldiers, whose performance was usually outstanding.

An officer who used to serve in the sector told Ynet that, "Many gunmen and other elements pass through there. The soldiers made a serious mistake, which luckily didn't end up in casualties.

"This could have resulted in a second or third Gilad Shalit. The fact that the Palestinians managed to reach their destination is also severe," he added.

The IDF Spokesman's Unit said in response: "The A.B.C regiment specializes in operations on the western Negev border. The regiment has noted many successes recently. The incident in question is irregular and does not reflect the regiment's operational norms.

"In light of the severity of the incident, the soldiers were tried, sent to jail and dismissed of their duties. The IDF views any digression from procedures as highly severe."