IDF soldiers (illustrative)
IDF soldiers (illustrative)צילום: פלאש 90

Ariel Yoav Zafrir, 19, has been named as the IDF soldier who died on Friday of heatstroke.

Zafrir, who lived in Barkan, suffered severe heatstroke while participating in a "nature party" at the Pura Nature Reserve near the southern city of Kiryat Gat.

On Facebook, Zafrir's mother, Anat, wrote: "Oh, G-d, how did You take our most precious treasure of all? Ariel Yoav, the light, the life, the joy, our soul...my sweet child, my my dear life..."

"You were always a happy and sweet child who helps and pays attention to every detail. You went to a party that you never came home from! The pain is too great to bear, this hole in my heart which nothing can fill. It's horrible, my beloved dear Arieli, our sweet soul. I already miss you. What will do? How do we continue on from here? How?"

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said, "All of Samaria is crying with Anat and Ilan Zafrir and their entire family. The pain is great and the sadness is inconceivable."

Meanwhile, Israel Police suspect that Zafrir's condition deteriorated after he drank alcohol with his friends at the "nature party," despite the extreme weather conditions.

Police detained eight people for interrogation, including the party's organizers, and initial investigations show that none of Zafrir's friends or the party's organizers called for help or evacuated him.