Maj. Asaf Dagan to receive military burial in civilian cemetery, court rules
Dagan took his own life in Atlit in October after suffering from severe PTSD, according to his sister.
IDF Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan is set to receive a military burial in a civilian cemetery, the High Court of Justice announced on Sunday.
Dagan, an Israel Air Force navigator, took his own life in Atlit in October after suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, according to his sister. This prevented a full military ceremony as legally, fallen soldiers must either be killed in service or on the way to or from service to be recognized.
Dagan’s family filed a petition to the High Court of Justice, requesting a military burial for their son and recognition as a fallen soldier.
“On October 23, 2024, a great tragedy struck the family of Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan, of blessed memory, a gifted individual and exemplary IDF soldier, who took his own life,” the summary of the ruling stated.
His mother, the statement added, “petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that the military authorities be required to bury him in a military cemetery with a full military ceremony or, alternatively, in a civilian cemetery with a full military ceremony.”
The statement added that the court had “addressed the complexity of the issue brought before it from legal, human, public, and moral perspectives.
“In light of this complexity, the court proposed that the defense minister approve the burial of Maj. Dagan in a civilian cemetery with a full military ceremony. The minister accepted the court’s proposal,” the statement noted.
Last week, officials offered this compromise to Dagan’s family.
Family comments in response
“We thank the defense minister who has demonstrated leadership in this matter,” the Dagan family was cited as saying in response by KAN News on Sunday.
“We request that he approve Asaf’s burial in a military cemetery, as befits a soldier of the people of Israel. We believe the defense minister will respond to this call, which is also the call of the people, ministers, members of the Knesset, and former military leaders, and will act as previous defense ministers have done in similar cases,” the family added.
Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report.
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