A soldier died during training on Monday after suffering heatstroke, the IDF said in a statement after the family was notified. Several other soldiers who took part in the exercise also showed symptoms of dehydration and were treated on the scene and later told to get more rest.
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The soldier, who was not named as of Monday noon, was part of the elite Yahalom unit of the Engineering Corps, which held a routine drill in the Kula Forest near Elad, in central Israel, not far from the Adam Training Base.
The soldier was given CPR after losing consciousness because of the severe heat, and was ultimately pronounced dead by medical staff who had arrived at the scene. The soldier joined the IDF in March and was undergoing training as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. During Monday's training a team leader noticed that he was spread on the floor after an apparent heatstroke and summoned medics. A special helicopter was also sent but to no avail.
Israel has been experiencing a severe heatwave, with the hottest day of 2023 recorded on Sunday. While the IDF has stopped all outside training over the weekend, no such order was given on Monday, resulting in the ill-fated exercise. The IDF said the decision was made based on routine procedures that evaluated the overall weather conditions, and after it was assessed that the temperatures had dropped sufficiently.
