Border Police officer testifies in military trial over death of Yuval Kestelman

Staff Sgt. Adiv Mansour, one of the first responders to reach Yuval Kestelman after the shooting, testified Thursday at the Beit Lid Military Court during the trial of reservist officer Aviad Frija. Frija is accused of causing Kestelman’s death after mistakenly identifying him as a terrorist during an attack at the entrance to Jerusalem at the start of the war. Mansour testified that he also initially suspected Kestelman was a terrorist, stating, "At first, he looked like a terrorist to me because all three of them were carrying weapons." Mansour explained that he approached Kestelman with his weapon drawn, but Kestelman signaled for him not to shoot by raising his hands and throwing his wallet toward the sidewalk. According to the officer, it was only after checking the wallet that he realized Kestelman was an Israeli civilian. Mansour emphasized that when the wallet and ID were being checked, there was no gunfire from any party. Defense attorneys for Frija stated that this testimony disproves the claim that Frija shot Kestelman after he had already presented his ID, arguing that it supports the defense's position that Frija acted in good faith.