The IDF announced Wednesday that Sgt. First Class (res.) Roi Sasson, 21, of Mevaseret Zion, was killed during a clash with terrorists in Jabaliya. Sasson served in the Nachshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade.
Lt. Col. Yoel Glickman, commander of the battalion, was seriously wounded in the incident, though his injuries are not life-threatening.
According to a preliminary IDF investigation, the force under Glickman’s command was ambushed by a terrorist squad concealed in a building, following a battalion-led attack on a target in the area between Beit Lahia and Jabaliya.
The incident brings the total number of fallen IDF soldiers to 800 since the war began, including 28 deaths in the ongoing operation in Jabaliya.
"Yesterday evening I was informed, it was the hardest thing I ever had to hear and experience in my life from the moment my son entered Gaza, and he has been a soldier for three years. That's four months of reserve that they added to the three years," Osnat Gal, Roi's mother told Ynet. "He was a class commander, in Lebanon he replaced a soldier who had to leave for medical reasons. There was no manpower. He was in charge of many soldiers, and fulfilled the position with distinction."
"Then he moved to the West Bank and he was there in several places. The last place was Nablus. As soon as he told me he entered Gaza, my heart fell. I accompanied him to the entrance to Gaza on November 1. He entered happy, said he was privileged to contribute to the country and be there for those who needed him. We spoke for the last time on Saturday, after a few very difficult days. I told him, 'If you can get out, please get out.' He didn't worry, he was happy to be there and felt that he was doing something, that he was contributing."
She added that Roi "was a boy who, even if he was uncomfortable, would do things for others first. From the Scouts when he was a guide, to when he helped injured people. He was always giving. I lost the most precious thing in the world. He was a handsome boy, with green eyes. A boy with values. A true gentleman. Took care of others. He called his grandmother every Shabbat evening to ask how she is."
She said that Roi was expected to leave Gaza on Thursday and to be released in three weeks. "He went with dedication. He finished the regular service and then went to four months of reserve, which he did not survive. He loved his family, friends and fellow soldiers, and most of all he loved the country. I asked him to leave already, I couldn't handle all the 'permission to publish' notices of fallen soldiers, but my daughters told me that he was looking for another place to serve, even in other divisions, he was not afraid. He wanted to fight for his country. The 800th fallen, I'm sure it has meaning. I understood that they saw a terrorist in the house in Jabaliya, and proceeded to clear the area. I understood that he was shot and killed on the spot," she said.
On Sunday, the Nachshon Battalion lost two more soldiers who fell in the battle in Jabaliya, Captain Yogev Pazy and Staff Sergeant Noam Eitan. A day before, Sergeant First Class (res.) Idan Kenan Cohen from the battalion also fell in battle.
Glickman, who was seriously injured in the encounter with the terrorists, was appointed to the position of battalion commander this year. When the war broke out on October 7, he was sent to the Gaza border area where he fought for many days in the kibbutzim, including Be'eri. Ten days later, his daughter was born.
A day before he was seriously injured, Glickman recorded from the combat zone a eulogy for Pazy to be played at his funeral. "We are continuing the mission," Glickman said in the recording. "It was important for you to always be first in every attack. You were an unconventional commander. We are in a war for Israel's existence, no less. We will continue on your way, Pazy."
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