Last update - 00:00 29/07/2007
IDF soldier left behind in Gaza after falling asleep following raid
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and DPA
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was left behind by his comrades after an incursion in the Gaza Strip last week, and was located only after they had returned to Israel, it emerged Sunday.
The incident is likely to result in severe disciplinary measures for a number of IDF officers.
According to a preliminary investigation, soldiers from the Golani infantry Brigade's Battalion 51 were operating southeast of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.
On their way back to Israel, the force stopped some 700 meters from the border fence, and the soldier fell asleep.
IDF troops regularly count off in order to prevent soldiers from separating from the force, but it appears that during the count-off, one of the soldier's friends answered for him, and his absence was not noted.
The soldier was finally located after he shot tracer bullets in the air, and waved a florescent "sticklight" to identify himself.
He was described as "exhausted and scared" and returned safely to his base.
Preliminary findings from the investigation by the IDF Gaza Division have been presented to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
The incident marks the second major mishap in the battalion since it arrived in the Gaza area just two weeks ago. Last week, more than 10 soldiers abandoned a post on the Gaza border in protest of inadequate conditions. The soldiers were sentenced to military incarceration.
Battalion 51 gained repute in recent years due to its operations in the Jenin refugee camp during Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002, and in Bint Jbail in southern Lebanon last July.
In June 2006, IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit was snatched by Hamas militants from Gaza who infiltrated across the border into Israel and raided his base.
Israel's attempts to secure his release through a prisoner exchange have so far been unsuccessful, and Palestinian militants have threatened to carry out more abductions in an effort to press Israel to meet their demands.