The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported on Thursday five of the Golani Brigade Reconnaissance Unit’s soldiers were killed in battle in southern Lebanon. According to a military investigation, the troops scanned a building close to the Israel-Lebanon border and were surprised by four Hezbollah terrorists hiding in it, prompting a deadly firefight resulting in three soldiers seriously injured and five who lost their lives. These are their stories:
Maj. Ofek Bachar
Deep sorrow fell on Ness Ziona following the tragic news of the death of resident Maj. Ofek Bachar. Maj. Bachar, 24, who rose through the ranks in the elite Egoz Unit, had taken on the role of a platoon commander in the Golani Reconnaissance Unit three months ago. His soldiers came to know him as a brave and skilled officer and struggled to process the loss of their commander.
Maj. Bachar, is survived by his parents, Ronit and Yehuda and his siblings, Sagi and Ofir. "Ness Ziona Mayor Shmuel Boxer, the city council members and the entire community send their warmest embrace to the grieving family and will stand by them during these difficult times," a Ness Ziona Municipality statement read.
Capt. Elad Siman Tov
The settlement of Tzofim located in the West Bank, received the news of the death of resident Capt. Elad Siman-Tov, 23. a platoon commander in the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, with great sorrow.
"The entire community mourns the loss of Elad, one of our finest sons, right in the middle of the Sukkot holiday," said Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council. "Elad was a righteous man, an officer and a commander adored by his soldiers. It's hard to believe.”
"He was a war machine," one of the officer’s soldiers recalled. "His soldiers loved him and he loved them, caring for them as if they were his own children.”
Staff Sgt. Elyashiv Eitan Wieder
Staff Sgt. Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22, a resident of Jerusalem who fell alongside four of his comrades from the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion in combat in Lebanon, will be laid to rest at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery. Last week, Staff Sgt. Wieder celebrated his birthday and said goodbye to his parents, Moti and Yael, for the last time.
Staff Sgt. Yehudah Dror Yahalom
Sgt. Yehudah Dror Yahalom, 21, a Golani Reconnaissance unit soldier who fell in the fierce battle, will be laid to rest in his hometown of Hebron.
Staff Sgt. Yahalom was given his middle name, "Dror," after Col. Dror Weinberg, a Hebron Brigade commander who was killed in November 2002. Yahalom enlisted in the elite unit two years ago and returned to active duty even after marrying his wife Shachar.
He is survived by his parents, Moshe and Tehila and ten siblings. "I’ve known Yehudah personally since he was a young boy," said Hebron Local Council head Eyal Gelman. "Yehudah was the salt of the earth. A brave hero who fought across all fronts with his unit over the past year.”
“Yehudah contributed greatly to the building of Hebron and the Land of Israel. We embrace his beloved wife, Shachar, Moshe and Tehila, and the entire Yahalom family and will stand by their side in every way in these difficult times,” he added.
Staff Sgt. Yaakov Hillel
Staff Sgt. Yaakov Hillel, 21, from Jerusalem, was the grandson of the head of the Ahavat Shalom yeshiva — a unique yeshiva dedicated to Kabbalistic teachings — and the son of Rabbi Chaim Hillel, head of the Kollel (institute of advanced Torah study) in Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood.
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