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A court case that lasted for years
The Be’er Sheva District Court has issued a final verdict in the case of the tragic deaths of ten young students of the Bnei Tzion course who fell victim to a fatal hike in the Arava Desert in Israel in 2018. Yuval Kaan, the head of the course, and Aviv Berdichev, the head of the curriculum, were found guilty on ten charges, including negligence, which led to tragic consequences. This was reported by TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to the Israelinfo source.
Ignoring meteorological warnings and a tragedy in the desert
The tragedy occurred in April 2018, when a group of participants in a pre-conscription training course went on a hike along the Tzafit River, despite meteorological warnings of heavy rains and possible flooding in the desert. A rushing torrent of water that quickly filled the riverbed swept the group away, killing nine girls and one boy.
Court verdict: negligence that cost lives
The court ruled that the course leaders were aware of the impending threat, but did not cancel the trip, even given the high risk. The judge noted that although the defendants may not have been aware of the full danger to the participants’ lives, their actions were nevertheless found to be negligent. In view of this, the court decided to reject the charge of recklessness proposed by the prosecutor’s office.
The fierce struggle of the victims’ families for justice
In 2020, the prosecutor’s office tried to reclassify the charges to less severe articles, but the parents of the victims strongly opposed this, insisting on severe punishment for the perpetrators. Yuval Kaana, the course director, denied responsibility, saying he was unaware of the guides’ decision to go through the riverbed. According to him, he only realised the danger at the last moment, when it was too late.
Financial compensation for the families of the victims
In 2021, a decision was announced to pay NIS 24 million in compensation to the families of the victims, to be divided between the insurance company and the state.
