IDF soldiers in combat battalions and special forces units have long complained that the rules of engagement directives and orders from their commanders are confusing, which often means they don't know how to respond in an actual event.

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The issue rose to the forefront yet again last week after a soldier from the elite Egoz unit was assaulted and had his weapon stolen during a solo night navigation exercise in the country's north. Although the IDF inquiry determined the soldier attempted to fend off his attackers and followed protocol, other combat soldiers believe the writing was on the wall and that the incident, while relatively severe in nature, was not isolated amid a general trend leading to a total lack of deterrence.

"From the day you enlist, you are hammered with safety and rules of engagement directives. Before any guard duty or patrol, they tell you the protocols and no one really understands when you can and when you can't open fire. The directives are confusing and vague. Every incident comes with inquiries. Soldiers are afraid of using their weapon; they're scared of being investigated by the Military Police and Military Prosecution," one soldier told Israel Hayom.

It appears this confusion is not unfounded. A look at the army's rules of engagement shows a significant difference between the rules of engagement a soldier receives while on duty in Judea and Samaria, which also account for a broad range of scenarios, and those given to soldiers on duty inside the Green Line, which are left open to interpretation and consequently lead to confusion on the part of the soldiers.

As it pertains to the apprehension of weapons thieves, the IDF's rules of engagement guidelines stipulate that inside the Green Line, soldiers "should try their best to apprehend the thief while avoiding the use of force and through the use of reasonable force that does not require the use of their firearm." It also says that "opening fire will be done as a last resort; after all other means have failed." A soldier can open fire only if a thief or attacker "exhibits obvious, immediate and malicious intent with a hot or sharp weapon."

"The sense is that the soldier needs to wait until the last second and only then shoot," says P, a soldier currently undergoing infantry training.

According to G, another soldier: "We're told we need [to identify] a weapon, intent and ability, but look at the case of the [Egoz] soldier – none of those were present and they still posed a threat to the soldier. There's no clear definition of who the enemy is and how to act against him."

"Torat Halehima," a religious pro-IDF organization, said, "It's unacceptable that commanders in the field have their hands tied due to directives from the Military Advocate General, which were written in an office somewhere, and which restrict freedom of action and neuter deterrence."

The IDF Spokesperson's Office said in response: "The rules of engagement are suited to the operational needs. If a soldier is assaulted and his life is in danger, he is permitted to take any action necessary and apply live-fire rules to neutralize the danger."

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For the first time in the history of the IDF Military Police, a woman has been promoted to the rank of colonel.

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Meital Ben Shushan, a mother of two from Yokneam in northern Israel, will serve in the Military Police Corps' main headquarters.

Ben Shushan first joined the IDF 20 years ago as a warden in an IDF prison for women. After finishing officers training, she served in a number of roles in the Military Police – several of which she was the first woman to hld.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a question of strategy, leading important processes in the corps," Ben Shushan told Israel Hayom.

"It's taking care that our corps stays relevant and grows, that it helps the IDF as a whole with our goal, which is to win wars. It's dealing with people, handling work applications in various corps and outside them to maximize processes and improve them. It's taking the corps forward in every area," Ben Shushan said.

One event from her service remains engraved on her heart. In 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, she was put in command of the Military Police for all of southern Israel. She was six months pregnant.

"In an emergency, the Military Police is in charge of all staging areas, handling and directing traffic, setting up checkpoints. I was in charge of 1,000 soldiers and reservists," Ben Shushan said.

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Ashkenazi's body was found near the railroad tracks outside his hometown of Kfar Saba, northeast of Tel Aviv.

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Ashkenazi was last seen leaving his home on Sunday, carrying his military-issue weapon and a small bag. He was expected at his base in the Golan Heights, but never arrived.

Once he was reported missing, the Kfar Saba Municipality called on the public to help look for him and opened a special volunteer hotline to handle tips.

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The military police made the announcement Wednesday after new footage of the incident emerged, collected from a number of Palestinian stores in the alley where it occurred. The original security camera footage showed the Palestinian running down an alley with a long object on his shoulder, then a soldier opening fire and the man falling, followed by other soldiers beating and kicking the man before dragging him away.

The Israeli soldiers were in the West Bank town of Jericho on a routine arrest raid last Thursday when the incident occurred.

On Friday, after a preliminary investigation, the IDF ruled that the Palestinian, named as 33-year-old Yassin Omar al-Saradih, had died from tear gas exposure. However, according to media reports, a subsequent autopsy concluded that the death was the result of gunfire.

Israel's Channel 10 News quoted the soldier who opened fire as saying he was not sure he had hit Saradih. The soldier said he had fired in self-defense, believing his life was in danger.

The left-wing rights group B'Tselem, which aims to document Israeli misdeeds against Palestinians, oversaw the collection of the new security footage. The collected videos seem to confirm that Saradih planned to attack the troops, charging at them with a large metal rod. The footage shows Saradih being shot at point-blank range in his lower body and falling, and then being arrested, with at least four soldiers beating him with the butts of their rifles and kicking him in the groin as he lay on the ground.

The IDF says the video footage proves that Saradih was planning a terrorist attack, trying to snatch one of the soldiers' guns during the altercation. A knife was later discovered on his body.

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