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IDF Faults Officers at Joseph’s Tomb

October 4, 1996
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The Israel Defense Force’s Central Command has completed its inquiry into the Palestinian assault on Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus last week.

Six Israeli soldiers were killed during clashes with Palestinians while trying to rescue other troops trapped inside the facility.

The inquiry found flaws in the behavior of the commanders who called in the reinforcements.

It also said that the ability of Palestinian police and rioters to enter the compound reflected a security lapse.

The inquiry added that the soldiers sent to rescue the trapped troops had shown intense courage when battling with the Palestinians. It also praised the IDF’s evacuation of the wounded.

Palestinians and Israelis clashed for three days last week in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after Israel opened a new entrance to a tunnel located near the Temple Mount.

The death toll rose to 15 Israelis and 58 Palestinians after some of the wounded died this week.

On Sept. 26, the second day of the clashes, Palestinian police stormed Joseph’s Tomb, ransacked the yeshiva there and burned hundreds of religious books.

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