eHalal Palestine
🇮🇱 Father Accuses IDF of Murdering Son Alon Shamriz, Urges Recognition as Fallen Soldier
Avi Shamriz, the father of Alon Shamriz, who tragically lost his life on December 15 in northern Gaza due to a mistaken shooting by IDF troops, is demanding that the Israeli army acknowledges his son as a fallen soldier.
In an interview with Channel 12 news on December 17, 2023, Avi Shamriz expressed the family’s plea for the IDF to officially recognize Alon as a fallen soldier, a request that was reportedly denied earlier in the day.
“We were supposed to embrace him today and not mourn,” Shamriz lamented after the funeral.
Shamriz shared that he was informed multiple times that his son likely took the lead in guiding the other hostages, Yotam Haim and Samar Fouad Talalka, towards safety as they tried to escape. The IDF has maintained that the three hostages “fled or were abandoned by Hamas who held them captive” when Israeli forces closed in, emphasizing that no civilians were encountered in the war-torn area.
“Among the three, he was a fighter; he was familiar with the Hamas tunnels from his military service,” Shamriz asserted. “There’s no doubt that he’s the mastermind and the person who executed the plan to get his friends out.”
Shamriz condemned the soldier who mistakenly shot the hostages, highlighting that the soldier had a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight and should have recognized who he was dealing with.
The distressing incident unfolded after the hostages, including Alon, put up “SOS” and “Help, 3 hostages” signs to attract the attention of the IDF. Shamriz affirmed that his son was the one who wrote the messages, recognizing his handwriting.
While Shamriz revealed that the Prime Minister has not communicated with him, he acknowledged interactions with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot. Shamriz described Eisenkot as “much more empathetic” than Gallant, though he acknowledged that Gallant accepted the family’s anger and criticism “like a man.”
“Today should have been a day of celebration and a mark of honor for the IDF — that the IDF freed three hostages. But what happened, bottom line: The IDF abandoned my son on October 7, and the IDF murdered my son on December 14. That’s what happened. That’s what the defense minister heard from me,” Shamriz concluded.