“…neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:16)

Company commander Second Lieutenant Eylon Tsarfati’s quick and selfless actions likely saved the life of one of his soldiers during an IDF training accident earlier this week.  During a routine training exercise in the Golan Heights, four soldiers were injured to varying degrees when an explosion occurred inside their tank.  Tsarfati was among the injured, yet he returned to the burning tank to rescue the driver when he realized the latter was still trapped inside.

The injured soldiers, all members of Division 401′s 9th Battalion, were evacuated by helicopter to Haifa’s Rambam Hospital.  Israel Radio reported that all four were out of mortal danger by midnight following the accident, but two remain in serious condition.  All four men are still hospitalized.

The accident occurred during a fire drill.  A shell jammed in the tank cannon, according to an armored corps senior officer, and the men in the tank removed it.  The shell opened in the process, spilling gunpowder in the tank.  The soldiers cleaned up the gunpowder, but fifteen minutes later, one of the soldiers placed a used, still-hot gun barrel in the same crate as the broken shell.  The soldier put a fresh barrel on his gun and continued firing.  It seems the gunpowder remaining in the shell reacted to the combined heat of the used barrel and the ongoing shooting, and exploded.

The same senior officer said the initial investigation revealed no negligence on the part of the soldiers.  “The soldiers acted in accordance with army procedure,” the officer said. “Instinctively, you place the barrel in the crate; it’s standard procedure.”

Further investigation revealed just how serious the accident could have been, if not for Tsarfati’s brave response.  Tsarfati was initially rescued from the tank along with two other injured soldiers, but soon noticed the driver was still inside.  Despite his injuries, which included serious burns to his legs, Tsarfati returned to the burning vehicle to pull out the trapped soldier.  It is likely the driver would have otherwise perished due to smoke inhalation inside the Merkava Mark IV tank.

Tsarfati was praised by a senior command officer.  His “quick response despite the burns he sustained is what you would expect from an IDF commander.

“he had only his soldiers on his mind, even during the morning he asked about them again and again. He had no fear in returning to the tank. He risked his life to save his soldiers.”