The soldier; Photo courtesy of fellow Givati soldiers
Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 11:49 At the beginning of the week, the military court released a Givati soldier who was detained several days previously by the military police. Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar represented the soldier in the legal battle, which began when, after fighting for several months in Gaza, the soldier discovered his car had been stolen. He filed a complaint with the police who located his car and the thief several days later. While examining the car, the police found drugs and hundreds of scattered bullets. The thief denied ownership of the findings. The Military Criminal Investigation Division (MCID) opened an investigation into the soldier’s possible involvement with the findings.
He was held in remand for several days, during which he repeatedly explained to the interrogators that he had been fighting for several months in Gaza, his car was stolen, and the drugs and weapons in the car were not his. Additionally, he said that before the war began, his car served as an administrative vehicle, and from the start of fighting in Gaza, military supplies were transported many times with it. The vehicle was also used by many soldiers.
Amalia Hoshen, the soldier’s mother, said, “This war has brought great praise to the character of Yehuda and Shomron residents. The residents of [Kibbutz] Be’eri were deeply moved to meet the people from over the Green Line who were the first to risk their lives to save [victims of the October 7 attack]. So many outstanding commanders and exemplary soldiers have fallen fighting for this country. I feel like this repugnant detention and humiliating treatment of a soldier who risked his life, sacrificed himself, was injured and immediately returned to battle, is an attempt to undermine their distinguished character: six days of remand in prison, a raid on our house as if he were a terrorist, arriving handcuffed at a hearing, and many more delusional steps along the way. During these long, hard days of war, this is insulting and contemptuous.”
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar welcomed the release of the soldier and said, “After a hearing on Friday at which the appellate court made their remarks, the soldier was brought for the third time to a hearing on a request to extend his remand, based on a claim of a dramatic development in the investigation. However, after discussion and clear statements from the court president, the Military Advocate General changed their mind, and the soldier was immediately released.”