All Israel Defense Force training exercises and war games were canceled Wednesday, as three of the five soldiers killed Tuesday in a training accident were buried.
Wednesday and Thursday are to be devoted to special lectures in all army units on precautions that must be taken by all troops.
The soldiers were killed when a 155mn artillery shell fired from a distance of some sever miles slammed into an infantry unit that had just succeeded in a simulated capture of a hilltop. The “softening-up shell” was supposed to have been directed at their next target, which was located less than a mile away.
The exercise was carried out in the Negev at a site frequently used for similar exercises.
The three soldiers buried Wednesday were identified as Sgt. Aharon Marius, 33, of Kibbutz: Kfar Azar; Sgt. Maj. Ram Katz, 32, of Givatayim and Sgt. Yosef Spiegler, 25, of Nahariya.
Three of the 10 soldiers wounded in the incident were reported Wednesday to remain serious condition.
Ma’ariv reported Wednesday that 29 soldier have been killed in training exercises in the last five years.
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