Father of Israeli 'hero' killed by IDF soldier calls for indictment

The Israeli civilian who sprang to action to stop an ongoing terrorist attack in Jerusalem last week, only to be fatally shot by an IDF soldier, yelled "I'm a Jew, don't shoot" in the moments before he was shot, an eyewitness said. Surveillance video showed the man, Yuval Doron Castleman, kneeling on the ground with his hands up as well.

The IDF soldier who is suspected of accidentally shooting Castleman was questioned by the Military Police on Sunday, according to Maariv.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said "this is life" in response to the incident, drawing sharp criticism from the man's father, as well as MK Benny Gantz.

Moshe Castleman, the victim's father, called for a criminal indictment against the IDF soldier who shot his son, in an interview on 103FM Sunday morning. 

"This must end with an indictment against the person who shot him," he told 103FM. "I don't care right now if he was wearing a uniform or not. He behaved criminally. He has to pay a high price."

Netanyahu: 'Yuval is a hero of Israel'

"Yuval Doron Castleman is a hero of Israel. In a supreme act of bravery, Yuval saved many lives. However, unfortunately, a terrible tragedy occurred there - and the man who had saved other was killed. There must be a thorough inquiry," Netanyahu said after speaking with Castleman's father on the phone on Sunday.

"A short time ago, I spoke with Moshe, the father of the late Yuval Castleman, and I sent him my condolences on the tragic death of his son," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X. "Yuval is a hero of Israel. Thanks to his personal weapon with which he neutralized the vile terrorists, many lives were saved."

שוחחתי לפני זמן קצר עם משה, אביו של יובל קסטלמן ז"ל, ושלחתי לו את תנחומיי על מותו הטרגי של בנו. יובל הוא גיבור ישראל. בזכות נשקו האישי בו ניטרל את המחבלים השפלים, ניצלו חייהם של רבים. גבורתו של יובל מוכיחה כי נשק אזרחי ברחובות, בידי מי שרשאי להחזיקו, הוא קריטי ומציל חיים. אין ספק…

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) December 3, 2023

"There is no doubt that his tragic death must be investigated to the end, professionally and sensitively - and I believe that this will be done by the investigating authorities."

"The IDF expresses sorrow for the death of the late Yuval Doron Castleman who acted with courage, heroism, pursued contact and eliminated terrorists in the attack in Jerusalem," the IDF said in a statement on Sunday evening. "A soldier in reserves, who is suspected of having carried out the shooting that caused Yuval's death, was initially interrogated on the day of the incident. The soldier was not on base over the weekend, and arrived today for questioning after receiving a warning from the military police who are investigating [the case]."

"The weapons of the soldiers were taken and are being transferred for inspection."

Castleman, 37, helped stop the Hamas terrorists who killed three and wounded four in a shooting attack at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning. 

Surveillance video shows that he was then shot by an IDF soldier, despite being in a kneeling position with his hands up. He was rushed to a hospital and succumbed to his wounds later in the day. The army said in a statement that the soldier mistook him for a terrorist. 

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police have opened an investigation into the incident, and Military Police are also investigating. Critics have blamed the incident on what they say is an unofficial policy the army has recently adopted of shooting to kill even unarmed terrorists.