Father of reserve sergeant Nadav Kelly: "He brought drones to the northern border when no one knew what that was"

Reserve sergeant Nadav Kelly, 24, and his friend Ofek Mualem fell in an explosion of an IDF drone at a post in Gaza. His father Yoav told of their initiative to bring drones to the northern border before the army adopted them, and of their contribution to saving lives. His partner Rotem described his dedication to reserve service.

Reserve sergeant Nadav Kelly, 24, from Har Halutz in the Upper Galilee, and his friend reserve sergeant Ofek Mualem, 23, fell in an explosion of an IDF drone at a post in the northern Gaza Strip. Nadav's father, Yoav Kelly, said in an interview that the two were pioneers in the use of drones in the IDF: they bought drones at their own expense and operated them on the northern border before the army adopted the technology, thereby saving many lives. Nadav's partner, Rotem Mandelbaum, described how he continued to reserve service immediately after his regular release, without returning home, out of commitment to his unit comrades. According to a preliminary investigation, the standard drone fell inside the post during a second flight, for a reason still under investigation. The soldiers approached it, touched it, and an explosion occurred. The IDF halted the use of explosive drones for 48 hours and established an expert team headed by a brigadier general to investigate the incident.

Father of reserve sergeant Nadav Kelly: "He brought drones to the northern border when no one knew what that was"