Eyewitness: Shooting of Israeli civilian not a mistake

A report originating from Ynet said an IDF soldier mistakenly shot and killed a civilian, but in fact “he did what he had to do,” according to an eyewitness.

By World Israel News Staff

Earlier this month, World Israel News ran a report from JNS, based on a Ynet article, that an IDF soldier shot a civilian, “after mistaking him for a terrorist.”

The man apparently suffered from mental health issues, and the soldier interpreted his behavior as an attempted terror attack, Israel Police said in a statement.

The man, armed with a knife, attacked another individual before the soldier took action.

However, “the shooting wasn’t a mistake,” eyewitness Aliza Boroda told World Israel News in an email after reading the report.

“The man was trying to stab people on the platform.  I was on a bus next to them,
she wrote.

“My driver opened the doors to let the frightened people in, and closed the door quickly so he couldn’t follow. Then, right outside my bus window, he stood off against the soldier.

“The soldier tried to get him to drop his weapon – there were still plenty of people on the platform. He refused. Then the soldier finally shot, and we all dove under the bus seats.  When we got up, he was on the ground.”

The civilian “was not mistakenly shot because he was misunderstood as a terrorist.  He was shot because he was carrying out an attack,” Boroda said.

“It happens that he attacked because he was crazy, not a terrorist, but the shooting was a good shooting. He was an attacker. Not just some poor mentally challenged guy. He was attacking even if he wasn’t a terrorist.

“It was terrifying and gruesome.  And the soldier did what he needed to do” in order to protect innocent people.