Soldier collapses during training; in serious condition
Soldier, 20, who made aliyah from US to enlist in army admitted in ICU after collapsing during running practice
A 20-year-old IDF soldier collapsed during training at a base in central Israel on Sunday. He was rushed to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in very serious condition.
The IDF said the family was notified and that the Medical Corps is checking whether medical officials had cleared him for running. The mother's soldier, who lives in the United States, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday.
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The soldier made aliyah a year ago finding a home at Kibbutz Malkia in the Upper Galilee. He enlisted in the army three months after arriving in Israel and was assigned to one of the Nahal Brigade's top units.
On Sunday, he participated in a daily running practice and collapsed for an unknown reason. His fellow comrades administered initial care and the base's medical staff was later called in.
The Medical Corps is now checking the soldier's medical history for any special conditions and looking into the possibility the collapse was caused by dehydration due to heat exhaustion.
It is also being checked whether medical personnel were consulted on holding Sunday's run and whether the soldier had enough sleep prior to the practice. The IDF has halted morning training in the wake of heavy heat this time of year.
Combatants are allowed to train from sunrise until about 8 am or 9 am or in the evening.
Avi Ben Efraim, who runs Kibbutz Malkia's pre-army program said that the soldier was a lone soldier who came to Israel in a special program and described him as a "serious guy."
He said that the soldier's brother had also come to Israel to serve in the army and completed his IDF service a year ago. The soldier had spent the weekend at the kibbutz, Ben Efraim said. "He looked fine, we didn't notice anything unusual."
Last year, several soldiers died after collapsing during training. Yehoshua Hefetz from the Combat Engineering Corps died of a heart defect during military screening tests in April. Two months earlier, Corporal Dvir Mor died from an infection during basic training.
Yoav Zitun, Raanan Ben-Zur and Maor Buchnik contributed to this report
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