Grandfather of Mt. Herzl tragedy victim jumps to his death

Neighbors say Hila Betzaleli’s grandfather suffered from depression since her death during an Independence Day ceremony rehearsal accident last year

Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel

Hila Betzaleli poses at the Mount Herzl parade grounds, two hours before the tragedy in which she lost her life. (Channel 2 News screen capture)
Hila Betzaleli poses at the Mount Herzl parade grounds, two hours before the tragedy in which she lost her life. (Channel 2 News screen capture)

The grandfather of Hila Betzaleli, the IDF officer who was killed last year when a lighting rig collapsed during Independence Day rehearsal last year, committed suicide on Wednesday afternoon by jumping from the window of his four-story apartment in Ashkelon. He was 74.

After residents reported the incident, police and paramedics arrived on the scene but were unable to revive him.

According to his neighbors, he had been fighting depression in the year since his granddaughter’s death, Channel 10 reported.

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