Sivan Kamin Ofek, the daughter of Gabriel “Gabi” Kamin, who was killed while working at a gas station, published an emotional post on Wednesday describing the pain her family has lived with since his death. She said her father had gone out that morning to work at the Dor Alon store at the station, “to provide service, do his job, and come home,” but instead his life was cut short at his workplace.
Kamin Ofek stressed that, in her view, “My father did not die in an accident.” She said the indictment alleges that a man who arrived at the station threatened Kamin, cursed at him, kicked the counter, and threw packs of gum at him. According to her account, after the man got into a truck and kept driving even though he knew Kamin was nearby, he hit him and caused his death. She also pointed to the driver’s record, asking, “How does a person with 65 prior traffic convictions still keep driving on the roads, until this ends in a human life?”
She said the station in Moshav Nir Banim reopened at 2:00 p.m. the same day, while her father’s blood was still on the floor, and called that a symbol of a society that has grown used to violence and indifference. “I want justice. I want accountability,” she wrote, saying her father’s death must not become another forgotten story.
The incident happened on June 5 at the gas station. Investigators said a dispute broke out inside the convenience store between truck driver Michael Cohen, 81, from Haifa, and Kamin. Security footage later showed Cohen throwing gum packs at Kamin. After Kamin went outside holding his cellphone, the truck struck him and he died at the scene.
Cohen was first arrested on suspicion of murder with indifference, but after reviewing the evidence, the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment for manslaughter, a more serious charge than negligent homicide but less severe than the original suspicion. Kamin was 82 when he died. His family described him as a beloved local figure who kept working in old age and left behind five children and grandchildren.
