The Nazareth District Court, on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, convicted the killer of martyr Diar Omri from the village of Sandala, Dennis Buken of Gan Ner, of the offense of “reckless manslaughter.”
Following the ruling, the State Prosecutor’s Office stated that the defendant “was convicted of homicide,” explaining that the majority opinion of the judicial panel—issued by Judges Hellman and Shitrit—classified the act as reckless and negligent killing, reflecting the lowest degree of disregard.
By contrast, Judge Asila Abu Asad held that the act constituted intentional murder.
Regarding sentencing, the prosecution noted that under the law, the penalty for homicide under this provision may reach life imprisonment; however, unlike aggravated murder, life imprisonment is not mandatory.
Attorney Omar Khamaisi, Director of Meezaan Center for Human Rights, said that “the court’s decision—whether conviction or acquittal—does not heal the wound of Diar’s family, which continues to bleed more than two and a half years after his killing. Anyone who watched the live-broadcast video documentation witnessed a horrific crime in which an innocent young man was killed without any wrongdoing.”
Khamaisi added that “the ruling reveals a clear split within the judicial panel: one judge considered the charge to be intentional murder, while two judges deemed the conviction to be unintentional killing—reckless manslaughter. This disagreement is detailed in an extensive decision of approximately 140 pages, whereas only a brief summary was presented today, which does not reflect the full reasoning, particularly regarding doubts about the existence of criminal intent.”
He continued that “the case remains open to further legal stages, as the procedures have not yet been exhausted. An additional hearing will be held to pronounce the sentence and determine its length, after which both the defense team and the prosecution may file appeals, noting that the prosecution represents the position and narrative of Diar’s family.”
On the expected sentence, Khamaisi pointed out that “while the law theoretically allows for seeking life imprisonment, in practice such cases often result in lengthy prison terms rather than life sentences.”
Concluding, Khamaisi said that “the family’s reaction was deeply moving; every court session reopens the wound and rekindles the pain. The family continues to live with the profound loss, which requires standing by them and supporting them during this difficult period.”
Dozens of family members and relatives of the martyr attended the hearing, alongside activists from the Arab community.
For his part, the martyr’s father, Ahmad Omri, said that “nothing in this world can compensate the family for the loss of their son Diar. Any ruling or punishment, no matter how severe, will not bring back the son who was unjustly killed. No matter how long the killer remains in prison, it cannot lessen the magnitude of the loss and pain.”
Omri thanked everyone who stood by the family and supported them from the first moment the crime was committed against his son, from Palestinians across different regions, and expressed special thanks to Meezaan Center for Human Rights for accompanying the family since the outset of the case.
