Citing IDF failures, family of soldier killed in Lebanon leaves Israel: ‘We can’t find solace here’

The family of Sgt. Gur Kehati, a Golani soldier killed in Lebanon in 2024 while guarding a civilian researcher, has left Israel, citing IDF negligence. The family is furious over the army's slow investigation and lack of consequences for those involved. Gur's parents and two siblings now live in Crete, with his father stating they cannot find solace in Israel.

The family of Sgt. Gur Kehati, a Golani soldier killed in Lebanon in 2024 while guarding a civilian researcher, has left Israel, citing negligence by the IDF. According to a Haaretz profile published Thursday, the family is furious over the army's initial hesitance to disclose the full details of the incident, the slow pace of its investigation, and the lack of meaningful consequences for those involved. Gur, 20, was killed on November 20, 2024, when Hezbollah gunmen ambushed a detachment escorting researcher Ze'ev Erlich to a medieval fortress in Shamaa, southwest Lebanon. Erlich was also killed. The family described the failures as "a horror movie." Gur's father, Ron, told Haaretz: "We can't find solace here. We can't recover here." His mother, Maayan, said the country had given up on them. Col. Yoav Yarom, who let Erlich into Lebanon without necessary approvals, was dismissed from the army but not prosecuted. The family now lives in Crete. The article's framing relies on emotionally charged vocabulary from the family without procedural sourcing from the IDF.