Thousands of Israelis attend funeral of staff Sgt. Barel Shmueli, killed by Hamas fire
Thousands of Israelis accompanied Border Police fighter Staff Sgt. Barel Achiya Hadarya Shmueli on Monday night on his last journey at the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel Aviv.
Barel Shmueli’s funeral. (Elyashiv Rakovsky/TPS)
Shmueli, 21, a member of an elite undercover unit, was facing hundreds of rioters on August 21 when a Hamas terrorist shot him in the head at close range.
He fought for his life for nine days, underwent several surgeries, and prayer gatherings for his recovery were held across the world, but he finally passed away on Monday.
Ministers and top brass from the IDF and police attended his funeral.
D., his commanding officer, eulogized him as “always leading, always engaged, always you. Educates in modestly and serves as an example for new fighters, a commander without ranks. As a sniper, you gained experience and became a leading sniper in the unit.”
Barel Shmueli
Nitza, Barel’s mother, had extremely harsh words for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and called in him to resign.
“I will fight your war and I will have revenge. The state, the IDF and the Border Police sent you to be cardboard against Hamas terrorists,” she charged.
“Bennett, be a hero, give up your place and fast. You are sitting with the chairman of Hamas in the Israeli government [the Islamist Ra’am party]. My son was a sniper and you sent him with zero chance to shoot the terrorists,” she added.
“I promised you from your bed, when you took your last breath, that I would be strong for you. I love you. Thank you to the people of Israel for the prayers. My son is in heaven,” said his father Yossi.
Shmauli’s family is demanding an inquiry into the circumstances of his death, accusing the IDF of tying the troops’ hands and creating an unnecessary dangerous environment for the soldiers when facing the Hamas-led riots.
Shmueli is survived by his parents, two sisters and a brother.
