Hundreds gathered Thursday at the military cemetery in Moshav HaYogev to bid farewell to Staff Sgt. Ofri Yaffe z”l, a 21-year-old fighter in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit who was killed Wednesday in southern Gaza by IDF friendly fire.

The funeral was held in the community where Yaffe was born and raised, drawing large crowds of family members, friends, fellow soldiers, and residents who came to pay their final respects.

During the ceremony, his father, Yiftach, delivered emotional remarks, describing his son as a young man who “always gave of himself to everyone.” He also addressed the members of the reconnaissance unit directly, making clear that he harbored no anger or blame toward them.

The father expressed criticism toward the country’s leadership, saying his anger was directed at those who send “the best of its sons on missions without purpose.”

Yaffe’s mother delivered a tearful eulogy. “I still can’t grasp that you’re not with us. For me, this is a dark dream and any moment you’ll come and laugh at me,” she said, according to Maariv. She spoke about her son’s personality and warmth, saying, “You were everything for everyone, everyone clung to you like a magnet.”

Earlier in the day, Yaffe’s father was interviewed on Kan Reshet Bet, where he spoke with remarkable resolve about the soldier who fired the shot. He said he would give the sniper “a very big hug” if he came to the funeral.

“We want to save his soul,” the father said. “That he should feel that we have no anger toward him, not even the smallest. These are our very best children, they are all our children.”

{Matzav.com}