Impeachment in the midst of combat. In the IDF, it was decided in the last few days to remove a Company Commander and his deputy at the height of the war in the Gaza Strip. This is after a battle during which the force retreated after not receiving assistance against dozens of terrorists who ambushed the fighters. This is what journalist Yoav Zitun reported on Ynet.
According to the report, the incident created an acute crisis between the company commanders, the fighters, and the battalion commander. About half of the fighters did not return to the unit following the brigade's decision to stand by the battalion commander's side and not by the company commander's side at the event. Several brigade officers admitted that the force was sent to the mission in which the incident occurred in a poor manner, and without rest. Following the difficult incident, the battalion was sent to refresh and rest at a recreation facility of The Association for the Israel Soldiers in Ashkelon.
At the same time, the IDF decided to replace the two officers who commanded the company. The army claims that "at the moment the battalion is functioning well, we are replenishing its ranks, and in the company where the incident happened we are bringing soldiers from other units to fill the gaps. A crisis of confidence arose, but it was handled correctly and lessons were learned at all levels. The battalion commander's ability to influence the battle was low."
The IDF also claims that during the raid carried out by the force, it was given an envelope of fire from the front and the fighters were not harmed, but from a subsequent inspection it became clear that they did kill terrorists from the fire they fired from the opposite side. The investigation revealed that the battle procedure for the raid, which was one of the first that the brigade carried out in Gaza, was flawed, But since the deployment, the other tasks performed by the brigade have also changed. "We entered a trapped area and many terrorists fired RPGs at us with relentless fire," the soldiers of the company testified in the investigation conducted.
An IDF spokesperson said in response to the publication on Ynet: "The fighters of the battalion are fighting in Gaza with courage and determination against the terrorist organization Hamas. In the last month, the fighters of the battalion suffered losses and injuries during the fighting. The battalion commanders and professional officials examined the fighters' claims and dealt with them." Military officials added: "Following the investigation of the events and the conduct of the company commander in them, it was decided to depose him and appoint a new commander from the battalion in his place."
