Border Police Fighter Hananel Sabag Accused of Fatal Shooting of Friend on Sukkot

The Supreme Court approved today (Sunday) the publication of the name of Border Police (Magav) fighter Hananel Sabag, who is accused of shooting his friend, soldier Yosef Haim Revach, to death on the eve of the Sukkot holiday. The indictment filed by the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash) against Sabag charges him with causing death by negligence, recklessness, and negligence with a weapon, as well as illegal possession of a weapon and assault under aggravating circumstances following additional incidents.

According to the indictment, Revach arrived with his fiancée at Sabag's home in Kiryat Arba and said "Hi." Sabag replied, "Hi, hi," aimed his weapon, and fired towards Revach's upper body. The indictment against Sabag includes 10 additional charges describing a series of incidents in which the fighter used a weapon in a dangerous and negligent manner, including illegal shooting in open areas, "playing" with operational weapons on base, possession of a weapon without a permit, and cases of assaulting detainees during his service without justification. Some of these acts were documented on video, and according to Mahash, "they reflect a persistent pattern of improper use of weapons and aggressive behavior."

The indictment further notes that the fiancée, Roni, testified that Sabag often played with weapons, even in their presence, and frequently cocked his weapon. The investigation revealed other instances during Sabag's service where he demonstrated abnormal behavior regarding weapon use. Initially, it was suggested that the tragedy in Kiryat Arba was an accidental discharge during a "pistol demonstration," but according to testimonies and Sabag's own initial version, the shooting occurred after Revach signaled a shooting gesture at him with his fingers, apparently in jest.

Revach was the son of Rabbi Eliyahu and Rachel Revach. He lived in Kiryat Arba, studied at the Amit religious-technological high school in Jerusalem, and was a member of the Israeli youth national taekwondo team. He won the title of Israel youth champion and later served as a coach at a club in Kiryat Arba. The deceased's family made an unusual request to Mahash to release Sabag from detention for the funeral so that "they would be together in the final moments," but the request was denied. It was also reported by Ynet that the day after the shooting, the soldier's father told the fighter's father: "I forgive and pardon."