On May 15, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) authorized to publish the name and photo of Druze Col. Mahmoud Kheir el-Din, who was killed by friendly fire in a covert operation in the Gaza Strip in 2018. Kheir el-Din, 41 at the time, had participated in a special operation by the Intelligence Division. He was awarded a medal posthumously on the chief-of-staff's commendation. Due to security considerations, his name and photo could not be released until now.
All at once, he became a hero. His death raised a painful issue for the country’s Druze community — the controversial “Nationality Law,” which anchors the Jewish nature of the State of Israel. Various parties in the coalition called for the law to be repealed immediately.
