The IDF reported on Sunday that Staff Sgt. David Moshe Ben Shitrit, 20, from the West Bank settlement of Geva Binyamin, was killed during operations against Hezbollah in northern Israel.
According to an initial investigation, Ben Shitrit was struck by shrapnel from an intercept missile that landed on a naval vessel. Two other crew members were wounded in the incident.
The missile had been fired to intercept a Hezbollah attack drone but deviated from its course and mistakenly identified the ship as a target. The investigation is also considering the possibility that shrapnel caused Ben Shitrit's fatal injuries. His shipmates attempted to save him by transferring him to a dinghy and rushing him to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, where he later died from his wounds.
The vessel itself sustained damage and has been taken to its base in Haifa for repairs. It is expected to return to service within 48 hours. The navy's vessels have played a critical role in defending Israel from Hezbollah attacks, with their radars identifying and intercepting several drones launched against Israeli targets.
Ben Shitrit is survived by his parents and three sisters. The head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Israel Gantz, expressed his condolences, noting that the settlement had just lost another resident, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam, who was killed in fighting in Gaza the previous week. "I extend my deepest condolences to the family. We stand with you and all the residents of Geva Binyamin. Thanks to our heroic soldiers, the people of Israel will prevail," Gantz said.
Harel, a close friend of Ben Shitrit, described him as "the best man and the best fighter I knew. I loved him like a brother. There was no one he wouldn't help."