Brig. Gen. Roman Goffman did not hesitate on Saturday, upon receiving the first reports of the attack in the south. This senior officer promptly departed from his residence in Ashdod, heading south immediately. Confronting the terrorists, he engaged in a fierce firefight, successfully neutralizing several of them. Unfortunately, during the intense combat, he suffered severe limb injuries and was taken to the hospital. Following a series of surgeries, his condition has now stabilized.
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Goffman, one of the most respected officers in the IDF and the commander of the National Training Center in Tze'elim, who previously also served as the commander of the Bashan Division and the commander of the 7th Armored Brigade; he is the most senior officer to have been injured so far in the war.
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Brig. Gen. Roman Goffman is the most senior IDF officer to be injured in the war so far
(Photo: IDF Spokeman's Office)
Goffman, 46, the father of three daughters, immigrated to Israel with his parents from Belarus when he was a teenager. He enlisted in the army in 1995, and advanced through the ranks.
"I didn't understand what tanks were at first," he told Yediot Ahronoth in an interview. "I was fascinated by IDF special forces. I wanted to serve in them, but I was disqualified because of my glasses. Quickly I became attached to tanks. The moment I rode in a tank for the first time, with my head out, and I felt its tremendous power and ability to get anywhere - I fell in love."
Among his positions in the past, he also served as the Etzion brigade commander, and the local residents have not forgotten him.
"Roman is a unique man, a book lover, and the impression he left here in the area is one that simply does not go away even years later. He is a brave warrior, one of a kind. His fighting skills his ability to face the enemy and commitment to values and learning the region - he is simply something extraordinary," Gush Etzion Council head Shlomo Naman told Ynet. "Residents remember him and know him - he is a heroic and very special man, all of us here in Gush Etzion wish him well. The residents of Gush Etzion owe him a lot," Naman added about the man who commanded the regional division in 2015-2017, a period when dozens of terrorist attacks took place in the West Bank.
One of the residents who connected with Goffman is Hadassah Froman. "We have a very close relationship that continued even after he left," she says. "Roman is a person who wholeheartedly pursues his beliefs. On one hand, he dealt firmly with terrorism, and on the other, he showed great compassion for the Palestinian population and took responsibility for everything that happened to them. I would forward to him all the cases in which injustices needed correction, and he would promptly offer his assistance."
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"I recall one particular incident that displayed Roman's valor," she added. "At the time, there were disturbances in the village of Beit Omer, and a child who happened to be passing by was tragically shot and killed. There were difficulties in arranging the child's burial, but Roman personally met with the boy's family, eager to understand how he could be of assistance. It was essential to him to listen to their needs, and he did indeed provide help. In any situation within the sector that could be resolved through dialogue, he was always there. He is a man of great stature, and we wish him good health and a safe return to his home."