Hyderabad, April 10 -- An Israeli rabbinical judge, Rabbi Avraham Zerbiv, who has been associated with calls to "flatten Gaza", has been selected to light a torch at Israel's 78th Independence Day ceremony on Tuesday, April 21, at Mount Herzl.

Zerbiv, a 54-year-old judge at the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court, is also an active reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). During operations in Gaza following the October 7 attacks, he worked as a D9 armoured bulldozer operator, drawing attention through videos shared online.

According to Israeli media reports, including The Times of Israel and Ynet, he became known among troops for encouraging soldiers during deployments.

Avraham Zerbiv, a judge based in the occupied West Bank settlement of A...