Daniel Aslan, a 22-year-old discharged IDF soldier from the town of Kfar Hittim in northern Israel, was shot and killed Sunday night in Tiberias in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.
Aslan was out celebrating his cousin’s birthday when he took a ride on an electric scooter. Shortly after, he was shot by unidentified assailants who apparently mistook him for someone else. He was rushed to Baruch Padeh Medical Center in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save him.
“I went to sleep and my eldest son called to say Daniel or our nephew had been shot in Tiberias,” said Aslan’s mother, Avital, recounting the moment her life changed. “I rushed to the hospital but they didn’t let me in. Around 11:30 p.m., the doctors called in just the parents and siblings. They told us: ‘We tried everything but he was hit by one bullet — and died.’”
According to the paramedic, Daniel managed to say the Shema Yisrael prayer before collapsing. “He even managed to say, ‘They shot me, they shot me,’” his mother said. “The doctors explained the bullet reached his heart after 20 minutes and all his organs shut down. They said they couldn’t have saved him even if they had been right there.”
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Born in Tiberias, Aslan grew up in Kfar Hittim and attended a local school. He served in the IDF’s Kfir Brigade and recently worked installing solar panel rooftops. He dreamed of becoming a fitness trainer.
“He went to Tiberias to celebrate his cousin’s birthday,” his mother said. “He got on a scooter to take a ride around the neighborhood. The killers were looking for someone else. They murdered the best boy in the world. The idol of girls, so handsome, full of love. Everyone loved him. He had no enemies.” Aslan is survived by his parents and three siblings.
Police confirmed the primary line of investigation is mistaken identity. A police source described Aslan as a “normative young man with no criminal record and no contact with law enforcement.”