Breaking Update
Investigation Into Death of Israeli Civilian from Israeli Artillery Fire in Lebanon Finds No Negligence
An IDF investigation into an artillery misfire that killed Ofer Moskowitz near Kibbutz Misgav Am found no negligence, leading to new operational directives.
Jerusalem, 29 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Chief of the General Staff concluded the investigation into the artillery fire incident on March 22, toward Kibbutz Misgav Am, during which Ofer (Pushko) Moskowitz was accidentally killed.
The investigation into the incident revealed that the artillery fire was carried out during an operational event in close support of the maneuvering of our forces. It was further found that the misfire stemmed from a convergence of several operational variables and non-optimal firing conditions. At the same time, no negligence was found, nor was any ethical failure identified on the part of the personnel involved in the firing process in the battery.
As a result of the lessons learned, the commander of the IDF’s Ground Arm, Major General Nadav Lotan, ordered the issuance of an operational directive addressing artillery fire over civilian settlements and facilities. This is a directive that is stricter than the current guideline.
The Chief of the General Staff emphasized that he accepts the conclusion that there was no negligence in the decision-making process of the commanders in the incident with regard to the circumstances. In addition, he instructed an examination of all safety components in the incident, and in particular the issue of battery leaps to the front of settlements, in order to reduce the risk of fire over settlements.
