Staff Sergeant Ofir Eliyahu was killed in battle while fighting in the northern Gaza Strip along with three other soldiers from the Shimshon Battalion (92), Kfir Brigade.
Eliyahu was 20 years old from Holon and, like the others, served in the Kfir Brigade.
"Ofir always told me, 'Mom, I enlisted to be a fighter, and I am returning a fighter,” his mother Nadi told Ynet. "Ofir enlisted in August 2022 as a fighter, was wounded in training, was rehabilitated, and then returned to the unit. Even when he injured a ligament in his knee, he went into the medical center every day with a request to return to combat."
"Ofir and his friends just wanted to fight for the country. This is the price of the war." His father Ami said.
He leaves behind his parents and a sister. He was a devoted fan of the Hapoel Holon basketball team and planned to travel to the US with friends after finishing his service.
An explosion killed the four IDF soldiers, and the IDF is investigating whether it was an anti-tank missile or an explosive device.
The other three other soldiers who were killed were Staff Sergeant Orr Katz, 20, from Ma'ale Adumim; Staff Sergeant Nave Yair Asulin, 21, from Carmit; and Staff Sergeant Gary Lalhruaikima Zolat, 21, from Afula.