Sergeant Uriel Peretz, 23, from Beitar Illit, a soldier in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Monday evening.
Peretz was killed by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas terrorists at a building in Beit Hanoun where the force was stationed.
Seven soldiers were injured by the anti-tank missile strike, three of them seriously, all from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.
Peretz is the 825th IDF casualty since the beginning of the war. The IDF operation in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip began last weekend.
The Beitar Illit municipality paid tribute to Peretz, "who fell for the sanctity of God while sacrificing his life for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel." Mayor Meir Rubinstein said: "Our hearts go out to the family in their difficult time. The entire city mourns and sends its condolences. We pray that we will soon be able to see the 'salvation of Israel.'"
On Tuesday, Rabbi Yitzhak Bar Haim, one of the rabbis of the Netzah Yehuda Association, came to visit soldiers who were on duty at the Tze'elim base, took a picture with Peretz and sent his grandmother a message.
"Hello, Mrs. Navon," the rabbi said to Peretz's grandmother, "I have a special experience. The Holy One, blessed be He, summoned a special grace for me to meet your cute grandson here in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a field, in the south, before going to fight. What a cute grandson, righteous and heroic. May he end up in peace together with all the soldiers, and with God's help you will be blessed to see him, of all grandchildren, happy. May he reach his wedding and 'build a faithful home in Israel.' You are blessed to have such children. All the best, greetings to you."
The rabbi eulogized Peretz on Monday: "He was in the medics course for three months because he had the ability to give. He was a charming young man, pleasant and noble. He took responsibility, always cared for his friends and was very much loved by everyone. I met him a few days ago, then I sent a recording to my grandmother about her grandson, that she could be proud of him and the values he brought with him from home. A difficult loss, we lost one of the best."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
On Saturday, rockets were launched toward the Jerusalem area from Beit Hanoun, where IDF forces began operating the precious night following intelligence information about the presence of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure. The forces were about 300 meters away from the terrorists who launched the rockets. After the launch, IDF spokesman in Arabic, Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice for the Beit Hanoun area and clarified that "the IDF is operating vigorously in this area."
Although the army has already operated several times in the town of Beit Hanoun, which is located opposite Sderot, the soldiers may still find hidden long-range rockets there, even now, after almost 15 months of fighting.
Over the weekend, another, fourth, Nahal Brigade was added to the long-running operation in the northern Gaza Strip, which left the Philadelphi Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip and was replaced there by the 4th Brigade (res.). The Nahal Brigade is operating in Beit Hanoun in parallel with the Kfir Brigade's operation there, on the other side of the city.