The 145 fighters of the reserve battalion in which Aviad Freija, who shot dead Yuval Castleman in the attack in Jerusalem, who are now fighting in Gaza, sent a letter today (Thursday) to IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The letter asked Halevy to "support the IDF fighter fighting for his innocence, just as you backed the IDF fighters operating in Gaza who accidentally killed unarmed hostages."
Detention extension Aviad Freija, who shot and killed Yuval Castleman // Shmuel Buchris
"We, the reserve soldiers of the undersigned 460th Brigade, contact you regarding our friend and brother-in-arms, reserve soldier Aviad Freija, who participated in neutralizing the terrorists in the shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem. We cannot and do not intend to interfere in any way in the investigation of the attack, but we have found it obligatory to ask His Excellency to act to ensure that the investigation is carried out in a professional, practical, impartial manner, and detached from any political context or media pressure, which is of great concern to us."
Later in the letter, they described the course of Frige's actions in the incident and the "professional mishap" at the end. "As Sir well knows, a shooting attack is a complex event. The warrior is supposed to make life and death decisions in split seconds. The enemy operates without human rules and morals, with the aim of killing innocents at all costs."
Later in the letter, they described Frija as his military service, adding that he was "a pleasant person, a professional fighter who carried out all the tasks assigned to him in Gaza until the day of the attack." They added that during the activity it could be seen that he was a man who did not want to harm innocent people. "We are convinced that he acted professionally and judiciously in accordance with the IDF's combat principles and in absolute good faith. His whole goal was to fulfill his mission as a combatant and save civilians from death and injury while striving for contact and endangering himself." At the end of the letter, they asked the chief of staff to support Frige, adding that they were confident that in the end the truth would come out.
This week, the detention of Frige, who shot and killed Yuval Castleman in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem, was extended by eight days. After hearing the evidence, the judge ruled that there was "reasonable suspicion of the suspicion attributed to the suspect." Frige's defense team said: "Frija consistently insists that he did not shoot the deceased at any point while raising his hands, but was convinced that the deceased was the third terrorist at the scene."
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