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Published December 3, 2023, 3:34 pm ET
The Israeli reserve soldier who allegedly shot and killed a heroic Jewish compatriot who was intervening in a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem last week is under investigation and his weapons have been confiscated, officials say.
Israeli civilian Yuval Doron Castleman, 37, is believed to have been fatally shot by an Israel Defense Forces reservist just moments after Castleman opened fire and successfully intervened in a terrorist attack at a bus stop on Thursday morning, Israeli police said.
Before Castleman intervened at the bus stop, two Hamas gunmen – identified by the Shin Bet agency as brothers Murad Nemer, 38, and Ibrahim Nemer, 30 – had fatally shot three Israeli civilians, including a 24-year-old pregnant woman and a rabbinic judge.
Castleman spotted the gunmen at the bus stop and stopped to help the victims on their way to work.
He immediately threw away his weapon, raised his hands and shouted in Hebrew: “Don’t shoot!” When IDF soldiers arrived at the scene, security footage was revealed.
But one of the off-duty reservists – a member of a ragtag group of radical Jewish teenagers known to attack Palestinians in the area – is accused of shooting him anyway.
Israeli hero Yuval Doron Castleman, 37, was shot dead on Thursday. X/StandWithUs
Castleman died just before midnight, moments before his 38th birthday.
“The investigation results so far indicate that one of the IDF soldiers identified and falsely suspected the deceased Yuval during the attack [Doron Castleman]who acted bravely and courageously to neutralize the terrorists, was a third terrorist,” police said of the incident following Castleman’s death.
On Sunday, the IDF confirmed that the suspect in the Castleman shooting – who was identified by Israel’s Channel 14 television as reservist Aviad Frija, according to ABC News – was under investigation.
“The IDF expresses its sadness at the death of the late Yuval Doron Castleman, who acted with courage and heroism and engaged and eliminated terrorists in the attack in Jerusalem,” the military said, according to the Times of Israel.
“A reserve service soldier suspected of carrying out the shooting that led to the death of the late Yuval was subjected to initial interrogation on the day of the incident. The soldier wasn’t there [his] The IDF said she arrived over the weekend for questioning by the military police investigation unit.
Medical personnel removed a victim from the area of the shooting attack in Jerusalem on Thursday. ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A second soldier involved in the incident is also being questioned, the IDF said.
“The soldiers’ weapons have been confiscated and will be handed over for inspection,” the forces added.
According to ABC News, Castleman, of Jerusalem, used his own weapon to confront the two terrorists, his father said.
For his part, Frija told Channel 14 TV that he was active in the so-called “Hilltop Youth,” a group of radical Jewish youth who squat on hilltops in the occupied West Bank.
The ragtag gangs are known to attack Palestinians in the area, ABC News noted.
Friends and family are mourning the loss of rabbinic judge Elimelech Wasserman, who was killed in Thursday’s attack. Portal
The “Hill Youth” also aligns politically with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – a far-right, bombastic and controversial figure who used Thursday’s incident to argue for his efforts to increase the number of armed Israeli civilians, according to the outlet reported.
When asked about Saturday’s shooting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared to brush aside concerns about Castleman’s killing.
“The presence of armed civilians has often saved the day and prevented a major disaster,” he told reporters. “It could be that we will pay a price for this. That’s life.”
Israeli rescue teams inspect the site of the attack. AFP via Getty Images
Netanyahu’s political rival Benny Gantz criticized the prime minister’s stance on social media.
“This is not ‘life,’ but a warning sign,” Gantz – who briefly served as Israel’s deputy prime minister from 2020 to 2021 – said. wrote on X.
Castleman’s family is demanding answers for his death, which they described as an “execution,” the Times of Israel reported.
“Nobody has spoken to us officially yet. We want to know exactly what happened. In the footage you can see him charging at the terrorists and neutralizing them, and suddenly they shoot him,” his father Moshe told Channel 13, according to the source.
On Thursday morning, three people were killed by two Hamas gunmen at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem. AFP via Getty Images
“They didn’t assess the situation correctly,” he said of the Israeli soldiers. “At the moment I can’t judge: what would I have done in this situation? But I want them to investigate this thoroughly and draw conclusions from the incident.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu appeared to have reversed his stance on Castleman’s killing. says a new statement that the 37-year-old is a “hero of Israel”.
“Yuval saved many lives in an act of supreme heroism, but unfortunately a terrible tragedy occurred there – the man who saved them was himself killed. This matter must be thoroughly investigated,” Netanyahu wrote.
“Today I spoke to Moshe, Yuval’s father. The salt of the earth, a Zionist family, a wonderful family. “I and the entire nation mourn with you over the death of a hero of Israel,” he said.
With post wires
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