The Hadar family from Kfar Tavor was shocked to discover that a lawsuit was filed against the estate of their son, First Sergeant Yahav Hadar, a soldier in the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip last January.
The suit was filed by a family from the community regarding an ATV accident that occurred five years ago, when Yahav was only 15 years old. While riding the ATV, a boy who was sitting next to him was injured. Following the accident, Hadar was sentenced to community service.
Yahav's father, Avi, wrote after learning of the suit: "Enough pain - the madness is limitless. Our son, Yahav, was killed in the war in Gaza. And now, a family from the community filed a civil suit against him for an accident that happened when he was only 15. A lawsuit against a boy who is no longer, against a soldier who fell while protecting us all."
He added: "We will not publish the name of the family at this stage, with the hope that they still have the humanity to understand their mistake and withdraw the suit. There is one justice that is bigger than the court - justice of the heart, of compassion, of conscience. Don't add to our pain."
Hadar told Ynet that his wife attempted to contact the family, but they refused to meet. He also tried to talk to the boy who was injured at the time: "He didn't answer me, I wrote that I had no intention to hurt him, and I predict that if I publicize his name, it will hurt him in the end."
The two families live near each other in Kfar Tavor, and the incident has caused tension in the community. "The entire community is buzzing. There were even guys who wanted to stand around their house with flags. We all want this to disappear; we have no intention of hurting them, we don't mean to do anything besides for them to withdraw the lawsuit."
The father criticized the conduct of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs: "They sent us what appeared to be a withdrawal of the suit, but it wasn't really a withdrawal, it was some sort of a trick. We aren't lawyers, just hurt people."
According to the bereaved father, the young man who was hurt in the ATV accident five years ago is set to enlist in the Paratroopers Brigade with a top IDF health rating. "Yahav took responsibility for the incident. It was a youthful mistake. He paid the price, they are settling accounts with him for an event he has already paid for."