treveskyn: odd news, strange news with attitude

 From the Jerusalem Post:“A Golani soldier was nearly left behind in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday after he fell asleep near the security barrier following a day-long IDF operation, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.

During the night on Thursday, the 51st Golani battalion concluded an operation in southern Gaza that left five gunmen dead and uncovered a significant amount of arms. Only after the soldiers crossed back into Israel did they realize that one of their comrades was missing. They began searching for him at their base, but soon discovered he had been left on the other side of the barrier.

At first, the platoon feared that he had fallen asleep as they were returning to Israel and no one had noticed. Sources in the Southern Command also feared that IDF observation posts would identify the soldier and draw fire. After searching for some time on both sides of the barrier, the soldier was located some 700 meters inside Palestinian territory. The soldiers who found him said he was exhausted and scared.

An initial IDF investigation found that the soldier had fallen asleep as the platoon was conducting its headcount. The investigation also found that another soldier had answered in his friend’s name, leading the platoon to think that all the troops were accounted for. Only after they had entered Israel and conducted another headcount did they realize their mistake.

Since the kidnapping of IDF Cpl. Gilad Schalit in Gaza over a year ago, the Southern Command has made great efforts to avoid a repeat occurrence. Their concern has been compounded by continued threats from Palestinian terror groups’ intent on conducting more kidnappings.

Even Hamas, which is now in charge of the Gaza Strip, has voiced such threats. In April, Khalil Abu Lailah, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said Hamas would resume its efforts to try and kidnap IDF soldiers as a bargaining chip for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

“Hamas’s decision to kidnap Israeli soldiers is not just a threat,” he said. “For us, this is a strategic issue aimed at securing the release of all our prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas has made it very clear that it will continue to kidnap Israeli soldiers until our prisoners are freed. By keeping our people in Israeli jails, Israel will lose more soldiers.”

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185379030653&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull