Parents of Soldier Killed by Stray Bullet Meet with the Shooter’s Father

The father of Sgt. Ohad Yaari, who was killed by a stray bullet in Lebanon, called for his commander to be released from detention and allowed to return to fighting. "I intend to go to the court and ask the judge to release Ohad's commander so he can return to his soldiers who are fighting in Lebanon," said the father, David Yaari. According to him, the commander will carry the consequences of the incident for the rest of his life, and the focus should be on lessons learned rather than criminal proceedings. "This is war, we need to strengthen the soldiers, not weaken them," he added. He also said the values on which his son was raised were giving and contributing to the state. "Our soldiers need to fight with their heads held high and know the goals of the people of Israel, to defeat the enemy and bring peace through strength," he said. According to him, a criminal investigation and detention during a war are not the right way to deal with the incident. The father said he spoke with the commander's father and asked him to strengthen his son. "I told him to hold his head high. If we can get to court on Sunday, we'll go, hug him and strengthen him," he said.

The commander's father, who is suspected of the stray shot that killed Yaari, also came to comfort the family. According to him, he asked to convey his son's condolences and received a hug from family members. "I came to support and left supported," he said. The father argued that this was an operational malfunction related to a new weapon in the IDF, which he said requires an investigation, but does not justify continued detention. "My son will carry this pain for the rest of his life. Now he needs to be returned to fighting," he said. According to him, his son left the pre military preparatory academy when the war broke out and enlisted for full service in Givati out of a desire to take part in the fighting. He added that although he was expected to be discharged soon, he planned to continue serving afterward. The father also said his son is having great difficulty coping with the incident. "He is in deep anguish. His soldiers were like his children, and he feels he failed in his mission to protect Ohad," he said. According to him, his son fought in difficult sectors in Gaza and Lebanon, lost friends and commanders during the war, and planned to continue in a security career in the future. The father emphasized that it is important for his son to know that the army still believes in him. "He keeps thinking about the bereaved family. When I told him I intended to comfort them, he asked me to hug them in his name and tell them how sorry he is and how tormented he is by the disaster," he said. Maj. Gen. in reserve Waseem Daher, who is representing the soldier on behalf of the military defense, said this was a tragic incident that occurred during complex fighting in Lebanon. According to him, the soldier is in severe trauma and wants to return to fighting. He also noted that the soldier is asking at every opportunity to pass on his condolences to the Yaari family and express his wish to comfort them personally.