Father of soldier killed by accidental gunfire says no investigation is needed

David, the father of Staff Sgt. Ohad Yaari, who fell in southern Lebanon as a result of accidental gunfire, said today (Sunday) in an interview on the program "BeHatsi HaYom" on Kan News on Reshet Bet that he told the IDF there was no need to investigate the incident. "I told the unit representative who was here that, from our perspective, there is no need to conduct an investigation. It happened on a battlefield, not in a sterile place," he explained. "It is a difficult, demanding and dangerous profession. They need to draw lessons, but not investigate a soldier who is fighting," he added.

Following Yaari's death, the Military Police opened an investigation. An initial inquiry indicates that his death was caused by mishandling a weapon. The father said he last spoke with his son on Thursday evening, and that the notice of his death was received on Friday afternoon, while preparations for Shabbat were underway. "I raised four fighters. You do not sleep from the day you bring them to the draft base until they are discharged," he said.

Speaking about his son Ohad, he said: "There was no fear in him. He would say, 'We are in Givati, whatever happens, happens.' He was an excellent fighter, they said he was a professional. He had a saying, 'I will be a regular infantry soldier until the very end.' He was a boy with a big heart, a prankster, but when a mission was assigned to him he knew how to be serious."

Staff Sgt. Ohad Yaari was laid to rest today in the military cemetery in Rehovot. His friend, David Sachi, eulogized him: "You told me you would raise your children to be the very best. I will never forget how you kept bugging me to introduce you to someone, and here we are. I will never introduce you to your future wife, and I will never see how you raised your children the way you wanted.

"I wish you were here with me tonight to celebrate at our platoon commander's wedding, which you waited so long for. Thanks to you we are here, only thanks to you will we celebrate tonight. I promise we will dance tonight at the platoon commander's wedding so that he will be happy, that was the last request you asked of me, and that is what I will do tonight, with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes."

More on this in the Beaufort area: The IDF found Hezbollah's emergency bunker because of an identification error, 3 Lebanese Army soldiers were killed in an IDF strike