Bereaved Parents Meet Soldier's Father After Fatal Bullet Discharge, Say They Will Embrace Him

"I am planning to go to the court and tell the judge to release Ahad's commander. He should return to fighting for the defense of the country, with his soldiers who are fighting in Lebanon," said David, father of Ahad Yaari, who was killed by a bullet discharge in Lebanon. He added that, "the court needs to understand that this is war and release him. Let him return to fight and do what he does. He has already received his punishment for the rest of his life, let them leave the criminal aspect alone and draw lessons from the investigation into the use of the new weapon." The father stressed that soldiers must be supported during combat. David Yaari, father of Ahad, who was killed by a bullet discharge (Photo: Liat Lerner) 2 gallery views Ahad Yaari, may his memory be a blessing (Photo: Courtesy of the family) David also said that the values on which Ahad was raised were contributing to the State of Israel. "Our soldiers need to stand tall, upright, and know the goals of the people of Israel, to defeat the enemy and bring peace here to the country, מתוך strength," he stressed. "Taking a soldier, putting him under arrest and investigating this through criminal proceedings is a mistake and weakens our soldiers. Let the army draw operational lessons, yes, but not through a punishment process." He shared that he told the father of the soldier who fired to pass on to him, "lift your head." According to him, "I asked him to strengthen him, and God willing, if we can go to court on Sunday, we will go, hug the boy and lift his head." The father of the commander, who is now detained on suspicion that he discharged the bullet from which Sgt. Yaari was killed, met with David and said that, "I requested the meeting to come and comfort them and also convey my son's condolences. I received an amazing embrace from the father, the mother and the brothers. It was important for me to come after I read on ynet that the father said he wants to hug the soldier. I came to strengthen and left strengthened." W., the commander’s father, described it as "an operational malfunction involving a new weapon in the IDF," and added: "It is serious and must be investigated, but why should my son be under arrest? He has already received his punishment and will carry it for the rest of his life. Now he needs to be returned to fighting in Lebanon." He said that his son was a soldier on the hesder yeshiva track, and with the start of the fighting on October 7 he left the pre-army academy and enlisted for full service. "He told us, 'I can't sit in the academy while soldiers are fighting and sacrificing their lives.' He enlisted in Givati out of a desire to contribute as much as possible, with sky-high motivation," the father said. 2 gallery views Sgt. Ahad Yaari, may his memory be a blessing (Photo: IDF Spokesperson) Ahad's funeral at the cemetery in Rehovot Less than a month from now he was supposed to be discharged, but he had already planned to continue for several more months in reserve duty. "My son did not want to go to officers' course, he told me, 'I won't waste eight months in officers' course, I want to fight with my soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon,'" the father said. "He wanted to continue in reserve service as a volunteer because he understood the great shortage of fighters and felt he would rather contribute in the army than travel around Thailand." The father also said his son was experiencing great difficulty because of the situation he found himself in. "He is tormented to the depths of his soul by the tragedy. In the end, his mission was to protect his soldiers, who were like his children. He feels that he failed in the first mission, to protect his child, Ahad. This is something that will accompany him for his entire life, but now he needs to be brought back to normality, back to fighting." "He fought in the hottest and most dangerous sectors in Gaza and Lebanon, he lost friends and commanders throughout the war," the father added. "He had planned to enlist in the security branches and build a security career, always looking for ways to contribute to the country and society. A responsible, serious, disciplined child, the last person I could have linked to such a tragedy, the prolonged stay there in Lebanon, the fear of drones, the protective gear and the alertness, all of these took their toll." The father stressed that it is important for his son "to hear that the army wants him and has not given up on him." According to him, "He is constantly worried about us and the bereaved family, I told him I intended to comfort them and he asked to hug them very, very tightly in his name and tell them how much he asks forgiveness, is sorry, and is tormented by the terrible tragedy." Attorney Wasim Daher Reserve Maj. Wasim Daher, who represents the soldier on behalf of the military defense, said: "This is a tragic and sad event, occurring during intense, difficult and challenging fighting on the Lebanese front. I met a fighter, salt of the earth, who left a pre-army academy to enlist in a combat unit, he is in severe trauma from the tragedy, he lives the tragedy. The criminal track is not suited to this situation, the army would do well to wrap him in a healthy rehabilitative framework and return him quickly to fighting as he requests. The fighter asks in every meeting we have to send his sincere condolences to the bereaved family and his desire to come to them and comfort them."