IDF soldier struck by hammer, seriously wounded
Five-kilo hammer falls on Armored Corps soldier during routine activity near Gaza; soldier airlifted to Beersheba hospital
A soldier from the Armored Corps 77th Battalion was seriously wounded Sunday during routine activity at an IDF base near Gaza, Ynet reported.
According to an initial investigation, a five-kilogram (about 11 pounds) hammer fell on the soldier's head while he was in a tank. The soldier lost consciousness and was treated at the scene before being airlifted to Beersheba's Soroka Medical Center.
Five-kilogram hammers are standard issue on tanks used by the Israeli military.
Sources in the IDF told Ynet that the circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but there is a possibility that the hammer was not properly placed inside the tank.
The past few months have seen numerous accidents in the military, some of which were fatal. In December Corporal Mor Cohen (18) of the Golani Brigade was killed during a routine training exercise in the Golan Heights.
Cohen suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head after a bullet fired by one of his comrades penetrated the wall of a training facility and hit him.
In September, Shayetet 13 Naval Commando soldier Sergeant Gal Azulai died during a training exercise. According to the IDF's investigation, he drowned following oxygen poisoning.
