About 30 Female Soldiers Fall Ill at Sde Boker Base, Training Suspended

Approximately 30 female commanders and recruits at the Sde Boker Gadna base have recently experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Due to the outbreak, training was halted on Monday, and the affected soldiers underwent medical examinations at the base. Medical clearance has been set as a prerequisite for resuming training. A minibus transporting symptomatic soldiers left the base for local clinic treatment.

Sde Boker base typically hosts security service candidates for a week of Gadna training and military orientation. Currently, some routine Air Force training sessions are also conducted there due to recent constraints at the southern Ovda base. One Air Force recruit stationed there recently criticized the kitchen conditions, describing them as dirty and infested with insects and cockroaches, suggesting the outbreak was inevitable.

The IDF stated that several soldiers sought medical care after feeling unwell and all received initial treatment at the base. The military denied claims that recruits were denied access to the dining hall, confirming all soldiers receive nutritional support tailored to their health status. An epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the cause of the illness.