Israeli soldier killed, 3 injured in grenade explosion at West Bank base

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – An Israeli soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a grenade explosion at a military training base, according to the military on Sunday.

The incident occurred overnight in the living quarters of the Kfir Brigade training base in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, the army said in a statement.

One of the injured soldiers was in serious condition, while the other two were described as having minor injuries from the blast.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

According to media reports, one soldier brought a grenade he found during a training exercise back to the base and kept it in his bag where it later exploded.

The Israeli army said it would temporarily halt training exercises to search for more unexploded ordnance near training bases.

Sunday’s incident came days after an Israeli soldier was killed on Jan. 3 by accidental fire at a military base in East Jerusalem.

According to Israeli army figures, 44 Israeli soldiers were killed in 2022, including 3 in clashes with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report