An IDF investigation into the July 24 terror attack near the West Bank village of Tel found that the force sent to the scene was too small, reinforcements and medical teams were delayed and Capt. Benayahu Mellet may have been killed by Israeli fire.
The findings, presented Tuesday to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, also concluded that the hike during which the attack unfolded had not been coordinated with security authorities as required.
Footage from the confrontation near Gilad Farm in which Benayahu Mellet was shot
Maj. Yuval Ezra, commander of a battery in the 411th Battalion, and Mellet, a member of a local defense unit, were killed in the attack. The security coordinator of the nearby Gilad Farm outpost and several civilians were also wounded.
According to the investigation, the Samaria Brigade received preliminary information about the planned hike several hours before the group set out and tried to obtain additional details.
The first military force was dispatched after surveillance troops identified Palestinians throwing stones at the hikers. The soldiers joined the group and continued escorting it as the hikers spread across a wide area.
A second confrontation later developed near the village. Additional troops led by Ezra arrived at the scene, along with the local security coordinator and Mellet, who had rushed there with another member of the community’s defense unit.
The three tried to separate the Palestinians from the Israeli hikers and push them back toward the village. After the security coordinator’s weapon was seized, they opened fire at the attackers.
The investigation found that Ezra charged at one of the terrorists and killed him before being killed himself during the exchange.
The IDF was unable to determine conclusively how Mellet was fatally wounded. Investigators said he may have been shot by a terrorist or struck by fire aimed at the attackers.
The probe found that the rules of engagement were clear and allowed troops to open fire to remove the threat. It nevertheless concluded that the force at the scene was significantly outnumbered relative to the scale of the violence, the number of hikers and the number of attackers.
Other forces in the area also failed to build a complete picture quickly enough, send sufficient reinforcements or deploy medical teams as required.
Benayahu Mellet and Maj. Yuval Ezra
(Photo: TPS, IDF)
One of the most serious failures occurred during the evacuation. While Ezra was being removed from the scene, Mellet remained wounded in the field for several minutes and was treated by a civilian medic without any military force present.
The IDF described the incident as a serious failure that contradicted its professional and ethical obligation to protect civilians.
Hours after the attack, security forces arrested two wounded terrorists who had taken part in the shooting. They were captured in a daytime raid on a hospital in central Nablus.
Zamir approved Mellet’s posthumous promotion to captain after a recommendation from the head of the IDF Personnel Directorate. Mellet had been undergoing officer training.
Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth said the actions of Ezra and Mellet prevented more serious harm to the hikers, but the investigation also exposed significant command and operational failures.
Bluth said violent incidents in open areas and on the outskirts of Palestinian villages were becoming more frequent and should be treated as a likely operational scenario.
The investigation found that Ezra had rushed to the area after the battalion commander raised the alert level the previous day following two attacks in the sector in which an Israeli civilian and an IDF soldier were wounded.
Zamir accepted the findings and ordered the lessons implemented immediately. He also instructed commanders to ensure that entry into sensitive areas is properly coordinated and that forces are better prepared for similar incidents.
“This was a serious terror attack in which we lost two dear fighters,” Zamir said. “Yuval and Benayahu sought contact, demonstrated fighting ability and prevented more serious harm to the hikers.”