Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityAn IDF probe into the 2024 deaths of soldier Gur Kehati and civilian Ze'ev Erlich in south Lebanon leaves unanswered why the 71-year-old archaeologist was allowed into a combat zone, while no commanders beyond one reserve colonel were held accountableShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeBar Peleg10:58 PM • July 12 2026 IDTMore than 18 months after an elderly Israeli civilian entered a combat zone in southern Lebanon, where he was killed alongside the IDF soldier who accompanied him, the Israeli military published a long-awaited investigation Friday that left several key questions unanswered – including why the 71-year-old amateur archaeologist entered the area with the troops.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel High CourtLebanonIDFIsraeli judiciary CommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel NewsU.S.-IranTrumpLindsey GrahamHussam Abu SafiyaCongressman Ro KhannaIsrael ProtestsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIran Attacks Gulf States After U.S. Strikes, Says Hormuz Strait ClosedLatest Poll Shows Eisenkot's Party Continues to Outperform Netanyahu's LikudIDF Probe Fails to Explain Why Slain IDF Soldier Was Sent to Guard Civilian TourThe Week the Democrats Defined the Israel-Palestine Debate for 2028Weapons Found Near French Synagogue in Suspected Terrorist Attack AttemptRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Original Tradwives of Ancient RomeThe 'Special Relationship' Is Gone, and Israel Isn't Ready for What's ComingAs Israel Lacks Hundreds of Patrol Officers, West Bank Staff DoublesMade in Kurdistan, Smuggled via Jordan: The Mysterious Firearms Flooding IsraelEgypt Lost the World Cup. But Was the Referee Really Jewish?Inside the German pro-Israel Lobby's Campaign to Defund UNRWA