The fourth Israeli soldier killed in a clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Monday, Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel, 21, was laid to rest in Israel on Wednesday.
The three other slain soldiers, Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, 21, from Bat Yam; Cpt. Noam Madmoni, 22, from Sderot; and Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, 21, from Lehavim, were laid to rest on Tuesday in separate funerals.
Hundreds gathered at the military cemetery in Modiin to bid farewell to Harel, according to reports in Hebrew media. He was a soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit.
Speaking at his funeral, Harel’s girlfriend, Neta Katz, told mourners that Harel had arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to her before entering combat. The note attached — wishing her a happy Passover holiday and expressing his love from Lebanon — arrived at her home hours before his funeral.
“I thought it was a condolence bouquet, and I read the note,” Neta recalled, before realizing that the flowers were in fact from her late partner.
“You are the perfect partner, smart and the most beloved,” she said about Harel. “You made me a happy person. Thank you for the flowers, my angel. I love you more than anything in the world. Thank you for who you were to me.”
Family members and friends described him as driven, humble and deeply devoted to those around him. His sister, Adi, who rushed back to Israel after receiving news of his death while abroad, spoke of their close bond and read aloud their final messages before he entered battle.
“I wrote to him: Good luck, baby, don’t do anything reckless. I’m so proud of you. He wrote back: Thank you, don’t worry. I replied: Do you think I won’t worry? You’re the only one I worry about. He answered: Don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless,” she read.
Harel’s parents recalled a curious and ambitious young man who aspired to serve in elite units and took pride in defending the country.
“From a young age, you were a curious child who constantly examined the world,” his father, Eitan, said at the funeral. “You wanted to reach the best units and serve the country.”
“Beyond all your excellence, you were a sensitive person, a true friend,” his mother, Keren added. “We love you for who you were and the path you chose.”
“Beloved Gilad, with your captivating personality, it was important to you to be the best,” said Lt. Col. Yehiel Amoyal. “Your comrades speak of how loved and caring you were, alongside your humility and quiet nature.”
As mourners paid their respects, Harel’s fellow soldiers in the Nahal reconnaissance unit were allegedly unable to attend, remaining deployed in southern Lebanon amid ongoing fighting against Hezbollah.
Source:
www.timesofisrael.com
