Eli Ben Dahan at the Ramla ceremony
Eli Ben Dahan at the Ramla ceremonySpokesperson

Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan (Jewish Home) participated on Monday in a memorial ceremony in Ramla's military cemetery.

"Shaul and Yehonatan were killed on the Gilboa Mountains when they went to protect the Jewish nation against an Amalekite invasion," Ben Dahan said. "Since then, and especially in recent times, the IDF and Israel's security forces have gone to war to protect Israel."

"They sacrificed their lives for the ultimate purpose of creating a Jewish state and saving the lives of their brethren.

"There is a direct and unbroken chain between Shaul and Yehonatan, and the IDF soldiers who were killed so recently: Ro'i and Tom, Igur and Yossi, and all the rest.

"Today, and every day of the year, we must remember the bravery of those who have fallen. It is in their merit that we are building the State of Israel with strength and humility, spiritually and physically.

"The fallen were not bloodthirsty, and they were not happy to go to war. They put the benefit of the community before their own personal benefit, will, and desire. They protected us with their bodies, so that we can live in our homeland of Israel, as a proud nation who have come home after 2,000 years of exile.

"Their legacy will remain with us and will serve as a lighthouse guiding us.

"May we always be worthy of continuing the legacy of those who have fallen."

After the ceremony, Rabbi Ben Dahan visited the bereaved families and heard the stories of the IDF soldiers buried in Ramla's military cemetery.