Sergeant Major Amit Ben Yigal, who was slain by Palestinian assailants in the West Bank town of Ya'bad, was brought to eternal rest Tuesday evening at the Be'er Yaakov cemetery.
Hundreds of mourners, including Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and IDF senior officials, escorted Ben Yigal on his final way.
3 View gallery
Family and friends attend the funeral of IDF soldier Amit Ben Yigal
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
"I love you so much, mom's hero, protect us from heaven," said Ben Yigal's mother, Nava, in tears. "I must now say goodbye. What an angel. You're so beautiful. My life has changed. My eldest child, beloved child. Your sisters can't comprehend what's happening. We will keep your ember burning, your happiness, your love."
Ben-Ygal’s father, Baruch, also eulogized the slain soldier, his only child, and lamented allowing him to serve in a combat unit.
"I signed [the permit] with this hand. You told me, 'dad, don't deny this from me', I signed it and you rejoiced as if you've just won the lottery," said Baruch. "You were supposed to bury me, not the other way around. Father in the heavens, give me a reason to wake up tomorrow morning."
Defense Minister Bennett spoke at the funeral as the representative of the government and told the mourning crowd that he saw pictures of videos of Ben Yigal that thaught him of the fallen soldier's good character.
"He was so full of life. Such a young man full of smiles, the kind who lifts the spirits of his brothers in arms, the kind who knows that happiness is contagious," said Bennett. "Baruch, Amit's father, said that he was his only son and that he permitted him to serve in a combat unit. So much bravery in the father, so much bravery in the son."
Ben Yigal and his comrades from a reconnaissance unit of the Golani Brigade were conducting arrests of four terror suspects in the village of Yabed during Monday night. As the troops were leaving the village a large stone was hurled off the roof of one of the buildings, hitting Ben Yigal and injuring him critically.
He was transferred to the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa where he was pronounced dead.
Ben Yigal was killed one month before the end of his service.
IDF troops detained over 10 residents from the building where the block was thrown.
They are not necessarily suspected of having perpetrated the attack but were brought in for questioning due to living in the building where the attack was carried out.