Soldier killed in training accident

An IDF soldier died Wednesday morning during trials for an elite unit in the South.

OC Ground Forces Maj.-gen. Sammy Turgeman appointed a colonel to lead the investigation into the circumstances of Pvt. Yehoshua Hefetz’s death.

Hefetz, a soldier in the Combat Engineering Corps, collapsed during tryouts for acceptance to Yahalom, one of the IDF’S elite units. He was rushed to a hospital in Eilat where he was pronounced dead.

The IDF said that initial findings indicated that the soldier suffered from a heart defect, which might have caused his death.

Earlier this year, Pvt. Dvir Moor Onikobaski died at the Nahal Brigade’s training base after he contracted an infection during basic training. Onikobaski was meant to serve in an elite unit when the aggressive infection killed him.

The funeral for Hefetz will take place Thursday at 2 p.m. at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery.