Israeli soldier dies after being hit in head with rock during West Bank raid
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli soldier died after being struck in the head with a large rock during a raid in a Palestinian village in the West Bank.
Sgt. Amit Ben-Yigal, 21, was wearing a helmet when he was struck early Tuesday morning in the village of Yabed, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. His death is the first military casualty in the West Bank this year.
“On behalf of myself and the citizens of Israel, I would like to send sincere condolences to the family of Amit Ben-Yigal, who was killed by depraved individuals during an operation last night. As has occurred in all the cases in recent years, the long arm of Israel will reach the terrorist and settle accounts with him,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Ben-Yigal was his father’s only child, and his father had to grant special permission for him to serve in a combat unit.
“I told him I’m proud of your decision,” Baruch Ben-Yigal told his son on the day of his conscription, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan. “I’m broken and shattered now.”
The post Israeli soldier dies after being hit in head with rock during West Bank raid appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
