Master Sergeant (res.) Yohay Hay Glam, 32, from Netanya, a soldier from the 16th Brigade's 6310th Reconnaissance Battalion was killed Wednesday by sniper fire near the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip.
Glam is survived by his wife Shira, a laboratory worker at Lanidao Hospital; two-year-old twins; his parents; two brothers and two sisters.
Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 704 IDF soldiers have been killed, of which 340 have fallen since the beginning of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 29. In addition, 4,398 soldiers have been injured since the beginning of the war, of which 25 are still hospitalized in serious condition, 171 in moderate condition and 9 in mild condition.
"My beloved little brother is a hero of Israel," said his sister, Ravit. He fought in Operation Strong Cliff and then retired from active duty. He was the youngest of us, who got married four years ago and has 2-year-old twins. Last week he was out on a two-day leave; we took advantage of them to travel together, but I didn't know that it would be a permanent goodbye."
On October 7, Yohay was called up for reserve duty, according to Ravit. "He is a religious man, and when he heard what happened he ran to his rabbi to give him permission to use his cellphone, because it was Shabbat and a holiday," she recalled. "The rabbi gave him permission and he started to recruit the whole team, and on that day he already went to the army. After some time he was released, and since then he had served several times in the reserves, also in the north. Two weeks ago he was recruited again, and he was supposed to be released on September 12."
"My husband died eight months ago, and Yohay supported me so much," she added. "He didn't leave me.
"We are broken, crushed, we don't believe it. I was 16 when he was born, I raised him, I was like his mother. He was attached to me. He even took me to buy the engagement ring for his wife. We don't know how we go on," Ravit said.
We are broken, crushed, we don't believe it
Yohay was an ardent fan of the Maccabi Netanya soccer club. The team released a statement shortly after the announcement of the soldier's death, that "the club bows its head and deeply mourns the death of the late Yohay Glam in the battles in Gaza. Yohay, a member of a family of devoted fans of the club, fell today in defense of the homeland. The Maccabi Netanya football club sends its condolences and embraces the beloved Glam family in their difficult time. May his memory be blessed."
The municipality of Netanya said in a statement that "Netanya grieves the death of Yohay Hay Glam, a resident of the city. May his memory be blessed. The family of the municipality of Netanya sends its condolences to the mother of the employee of the community center and the sister of the employee of the education administration."
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Master Sergeant (res.) Yohay Hay Glam with his wife and their twin daughters
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Yisrael Beitenu Party Chairman Avigdor Liberman wrote on X that this is a "pain that never ends. I send my condolences to his family in their most difficult time. Hero of Israel, may his memory be blessed."
Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF announced that Staff Sergeant Amit Friedman, 19, from Or Yehuda, fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip.