President Yitzhak Herzog paid tribute to the late writer Yonatan Gefen.
"Yonatan Gefen passed away, and with him we lost his playful and eternal smile. He knew how to capture the smallest and biggest moments, and turn them into eternal texts. It is hard to imagine the existence of Israeli creativity, our hymns, the worlds of literature and theater - without his unique and unforgettable contribution .
Today we prematurely lost a sharp and wonderful artist, one of a kind, a member of a privileged family who was also blessed to have a second, creative and talented generation after him, whose talent we are all blessed with. The little prince from the valley, the son of Nahalal who was a warrior and an officer, who loved the land and its people, and precisely because of this he did not spare them his witty criticism.
He left us an eternal legacy and a living monument of his impressive, unique and so Israeli work. Yonatan go home! We miss you already. My sincere condolences to the Emek family, the Gefen and Dayan families, and all his loved ones."