Elor Azaria
Elor Azaria is a former IDF soldier who became a central figure in a national debate over military ethics and rules of engagement after he shot and killed a neutralized Palestinian terrorist in Hebron in 2016.
Elor Azaria was a combat medic in the Kfir Brigade who gained international notoriety following an incident on March 24, 2016, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron. After two Palestinian attackers stabbed an IDF soldier, one was killed and the other, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, was wounded and neutralized. Several minutes later, Azaria was filmed shooting the prone al-Sharif in the head. The incident, captured on video by a B'Tselem volunteer, sparked one of the most polarizing legal and social sagas in Israeli history.
Azaria was charged with manslaughter and convicted by a military court in 2017. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, a term later reduced by the Chief of Staff to 14 months, of which he served nine. The case divided the Israeli public: supporters viewed him as a young soldier who made a split-second decision in a high-stress combat zone, while critics and the IDF leadership emphasized the importance of the "purity of arms" and the danger of soldiers taking the law into their own hands.
In July 2026, the case returned to the forefront of Israeli political discourse. Defense Minister Israel Katz formally requested that President Isaac Herzog grant Azaria a presidential pardon and signed an order to expunge his criminal record. This move was met with significant institutional resistance from the IDF. The Chief of Staff, the Military Advocate General, and the head of the Personnel Directorate opposed the clemency, arguing that there had been no substantial change in circumstances and citing a lack of remorse from Azaria. The tension highlights the ongoing friction between the political echelon's desire for national reconciliation and the military's commitment to its judicial and ethical standards.