Gantz swipes at Netanyahu: Civilian’s killing by IDF soldier shouldn’t be dismissed as ‘that’s life’

Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel

File - War cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (standing), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at a press conference at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, November 22, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
File - War cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (standing), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at a press conference at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, November 22, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz swipes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after the latter described the killing by an IDF soldier of Yuval Castleman, a civilian who shot the perpetrators of a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem, as “that’s life.”

“The case of Yuval [Castleman] the hero, is not ‘that’s life,’ but a warning sign that requires learning lessons that will save lives in the future,” Gantz writes on X.

The National Unity leader calls for “a comprehensive investigation” to evaluate on-the-ground and policy failures contributing to Castleman’s death.

“Alongside the mandatory investigation of the tragic case by relevant IDF and police forces, a comprehensive investigation is required into the circumstances that led to it, [as well as into] procedures and adherence to weapons doctrine,” Gantz, a former defense minister, writes on X.

Graphic video from the scene showed Castleman throw away his gun, fall on his knees and raise his hands in the air while shouting “Don’t shoot” as the soldiers approached him. He was then shot again by one of them.

Castleman’s family has called his death an “execution.”

“This is our commitment to Yuval [Castleman], his family and Israeli society as a whole,” Gantz continues, adding that: “The scene of an attack is almost always complex and I am sure that the soldier who shot Yuval did so by mistake, a mistake that cost a heavy price.”

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