The name of Border Police officer Chananel Sbag has been allowed for publication. Sbag is accused of shooting and killing soldier Yosef Ravuch. The Supreme Court lifted the gag order earlier today, according to Israeli media.
The name of Border Police officer Chananel Sbag was cleared for publication at 15:15 Jerusalem on Sunday, after the Supreme Court lifted a gag order that had concealed his identity since the incident. Sbag is accused of negligently shooting and killing soldier Yosef Ravuch on the eve of Sukkot 2025, and faces additional charges of recklessness, negligence with a weapon, and illegal weapon possession. The court's decision allowed Israeli media to name the officer for the first time, ending the period of anonymity.
The Zioneer first reported the story at 15:15 Jerusalem, with initial details from ynet identifying Sbag as the suspect. Within minutes, multiple reports—first from N12, then from Yediot—added that Sbag had been charged with negligent homicide and the other counts. The source base thus expanded from a single news outlet to several mainstream Israeli newsrooms, and the charges were consistently reported across all of them.
As The Zioneer reported in its earlier coverage, the shooting occurred on the eve of Sukkot 2025. The case has drawn public attention due to its nature—a fellow soldier killed by a Border Police officer in what authorities describe as negligent conduct. No additional background from the wider security situation is directly related to this incident.
The precise circumstances that led Sbag to fire the fatal shot remain under investigation. The charges, which include illegal weapon possession, suggest that the weapon was not properly authorized, but the full sequence of events has not been publicly detailed.
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake