Ofir Shaar praises son’s ‘brave whisper’ in call to police

Ofir Shaar, the father of Gil-ad Shaar, says at his son’s funeral that he recognized his son’s “brave whisper” in the recording of the call one of the three kidnapped youths had made to the police, to alert the authorities that they had been abducted.

In the moments following the abduction, one of the kidnapped teenagers had called an emergency police hotline and whispered, “I’ve been kidnapped.” The call was then cut off, and after trying unsuccessfully to call the number back several times, they concluded it must have been a prank.

In his eulogy this afternoon, Shaar says that when he heard the recording, he immediately recognized his son’s voice.

“From the moment I heard your brave whisper, I heard a great voice and stood taller. What initiative, courage and strength on the part of someone who had yet to celebrate his 17th birthday,” he says.

Israeli media reported today that shots could be heard at the end of the phone call, which was played to the parents of the three students by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon following their abduction.

Shaar adds, “My prayer shawl is orphaned. It envelopes your untarnished body before you are buried in the soil of the Israel you so loved. You are part of the family of Israel. Your final message and your ascension to heaven brought down walls and unified an entire nation.”