Sergeant A., an IDF fighter who was convicted as part of a plea bargain in an incident in which a 15-year-old Palestinian Arab was shot dead in northern Gaza, spoke about his conviction in an interview with Channel 13 News on Wednesday evening.
He said he reported to his commanders that he opened fire at Palestinian Arabs climbing the fence on his own, despite the fact that he had not received approval to do so. "I told the truth. As an IDF fighter - loyalty comes first,” he explained.
A. admitted as part of a plea bargain to violation of authority to the extent of threatening a life. He was convicted and sentenced to military work for a month and became the first soldier to be convicted over operational activity near the Gaza fence.
"I was wrong and I am sorry about that," he said, noting that "all the orders of the IDF, all the commanders must be obeyed, and even if there is a need to shoot – it must be done only with the commander's approval."