The parents of fallen soldier Sgt. Omer Ginzburg have decided to donate his organs for transplant.
Ginzburg was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Monday. He was to be buried today.
Tissues from his body will be transplanted in the next several weeks to save lives. His corneas will be used for those who have lost their sight. Additionally, his heart valves will be used. His skin will also be used to treat burns, and bone grafts will be used to repair orthopedic injuries, including limb reconstruction.
Ginzburg, 19, from Kiryat Tivon, served in the 101st Battalion in the Paratroopers Brigade. He was promoted posthumously from the rank of corporal to sergeant.
According to the IDF’s tally, Ginzburg’s death raises the number of soldiers killed on or since October 7 of last year to 690.
Some 330 of them were killed since the start of the military’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip on October 27.
'His heart and soul were pure'
“Omer was a magical child with a shy and charming smile,” his parents, Maya and Tzach Ginzburg, said. “He was loved by his friends and family and always thought of others before thinking of himself. He was the friend you knew would always be there for you when needed – sensitive and introverted, a warm and loving partner.”
“It was always clear to him that he would be a combat soldier,” his girlfriend, Mika Tal, told Walla, adding that Ginzburg “was happy that he was assigned with the paratroopers.”
“He was a person that when you look into his eyes you know that his heart and soul are pure. He would do everything for his friends and his family, but not only for those close to him – for anyone who needs it,” she said.
Tal also stated that at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, when Ginzburg was on leave, he would go to the Gaza border area to aid in the rehabilitation of the ravaged communities.