Israel pays family of dead UNIFIL soldier
Government gives 200,000 euros to the family of Francisco Toledo, who was hit by a missile in Lebanon during Israeli shelling, according to Spanish newspaper.
The IDF recently paid a compensation of 200,000 euros to the family of the Spanish UNIFIL soldier who was killed as a result of IDF shelling towards Lebanon, the Spanish newspaper "El Pais"reported. The shelling that resulted in Francisco Toledo's death was retaliation for Hezbollah's anti-tank fire that killed IDF Major Yochai Kalangel and Staff Sergeant Dor Nini.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that contact was made on both sides and that Israel has reached an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Defense. However the Foreign Ministry refrained from addressing details or the amount of compensation that was paid.
The Spanish soldier, Francisco Javier Soria Toledo, was stationed in an observation tower of the Spanish Battalion at the time as part of the international force left in place after the Second Lebanon War and under the aegis of Resolution 1701.
He was killed during an exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah. According to various reports, Toledo was killed by an IDF tank shell that fired in the area of the village of Al Abbasiyya in Lebanon.
Lebanese newspaper "As-Safir" cited morning the Spanish newspaper’s statement, in which senior Spanish government officials said: "This is the first time that Israel has paid compensation to UNIFIL soldiers that were killed by Israeli fire. This indicates a clear admission and proof that there is no doubt that the soldier was killed by the IDF while the IDF denied responsibility for the killing. "
The family's lawyer said that "money does not interest the soldier's parents as much as their legitimate right to know what really happened."
Spain continues to investigate. In this context, an investigating judge asked the Foreign Ministry in Madrid to give him every bit of information about this case and ask the Israeli side if it was conducting a legal investigation of its own.
According to "El Pais", the Spanish Battalion recently held a ceremony in memory of Toledo at the location where he was killed in southern Lebanon.
