The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed on Thursday that Sergeant First Class (res.) Efraim Ben Amram, 25, from Yesud HaMa'ala, a soldier from the 53rd Battalion, 188th Brigade, succumbed to his injuries after he was severely injured after a drone attack in the northern Golan Heights on June 30, in which 16 other soldiers were also injured.
Yosef Chaim Ben Amram, Efraim’s father, told Ynet after the attack: "Efraim has been in reserve duty for four months now, which isn’t an easy task at all. It’s an exposed area, and the equipment was exposed."
He added: "There was time to respond; the area is very close to Hezbollah. When we arrived at the hospital, we understood the severity of his injury. Later, the battalion and brigade commanders came and told us that an investigation was underway, and they would update us with whatever they could. They told us the area he was in was less intense than Gaza but still complex. Efraim underwent a very complex surgery on his head."
The father also said that his son, the fifth of 11 children, is a fifth-generation member of a farming family in Yesud HaMa'ala. "He loves to help, giving us a hand in agriculture as well. He is a very positive person with a very positive soul. He traveled around the world and then returned for reserve duty. I love him very much."
"All my children were proud to go to the reserves," the father said. "His brother Yonatan is also a combat soldier and recently finished his service in an elite unit in Gaza. Efraim bears the price of being an Israeli, a proud Israeli, and we’re waiting for his recovery."
Yesud HaMa'ala’s local council mourned Efraim’s loss. "We announce with great sorrow the death of Sergeant First Class (res.) Efraim Ben Amram was injured in the Golan Heights by a drone strike at the end of June. The council shares the family's grief and embraces them in their difficult time," the council said in a statement.