Israeli authorities asked the parents of a deceased soldier to remove a monument with a cross from a military cemetery.

An organization dedicated to preserving the memory of fallen IDF soldiers demanded that the cross, which symbolizes his faith in Christianity, be removed from the monument of Sergeant David Bogdanovsky.

The deceased 19-year-old soldier was an IDF engineer who died in the Gaza Strip last year. The burial is located in the military section of the cemetery in Haifa. The soldier's father expressed dissatisfaction with this proposal and believes that the state is betraying the memory of his son.

Bogdanovsky's family was shocked that before the memorial ceremony the sergeant's grave was covered with a black cloth because of Christian symbols.

The soldier's mother took to social media to express her outrage, and former minister Meir Cohen called on authorities to demand an investigation. He stressed that IDF soldiers of different faiths fight and die together for their country, so such situations are unacceptable.