Ten of the 12 soldiers and civilians who were killed in the fierce battle with terrorists-in-ambush in Hevron on Friday night were buried today. Among them was Col. Dror Weinberg, 38, Hevron Brigade commander and the most senior officer killed since the start of the Oslo War. See below for a report on his funeral.
The other casualties included three IDF soldiers, five Border Guard policemen, and three members of Kiryat Arba's first-response emergency team. The soldiers were:
* Lt. Dan Cohen, 22, of Jerusalem, survived by parents and two sisters;
* Sgt. Igor Drobitsky, 20, Nahariya, who immigrated six years ago. A combat medic, he was told to take cover, but instead went to help his comrades who were hurt, and was then killed.
* Cpl. David Marcus, 20, Maaleh Adumim, who immigrated from Russia with his father and brother six years ago; his funeral has not yet been set.
The five Border Guard policemen were:
* Sgt. Gad Rahamim, 19, Kiryat Malachi - a Border Guard policeman who recently received an award for capturing a wanted terrorist;
* Sgt. Yishayahu Davidov, 20, of Netanya;
* Sgt. Tomer Nov, 19, of Ashdod;
* Sgt. Netanel Machluf, 19, of Hadera - killed while helping rescue the wounded in the battle. He was the 31st casualty of the Oslo War from Hadera.
* Supt. Samih Sweidan, 31, who was buried yesterday in his Bedouin village near Idmit in the western Galilee.
The three Kiryat Arba residents killed in the attack were:
* Yitzchak Boanish, 46, survived by his wife and seven children;
* Alex Tsvitman, 26, who left a wife and child;
* Alex Duchan, 33, who left a wife and four children.
Yitzchak Boanish, commander of the team, married off his daughter - his oldest child - two weeks ago. Col. Weinberg used to eat some of his Sabbath meals in the Boanish home when it was his turn to remain in Hevron. Boanish was admired for his ability to calm people down during times of strife, and for his "speak little, do much" demeanor. The funeral of the three Kiryat Arba emergency team fighters began in their hometown this morning, and continued to the Givat Sha'ul cemetery in Jerusalem, where they were buried with military honors. The families had demanded that their contribution to the military infrastructure and civil defense in the region be thus recognized.
Eleven Israelis wounded in the attack remain hospitalized, including four in serious condition. Arutz-7's Effie Meir reports that the terrorists, who hid in three different places along the route known as "Worshipers' Way" between Hevron and Kiryat Arba, threw grenades and fired special A-3 bullets that cause extra damage; one civilian fighter who was shot in the leg had to have his leg amputated shortly afterwards. Residents of Gaza danced in the streets upon hearing the news of the battle.
* Story of Heroism *
"With the deaths of the Brigade Commander, Chief Operations Officer, and the head of the civil emergency team, the man who filled the void was Eliyahu Livman of Hevron," Meir reported. "He took charge of all the many forces there. When one terrorist was left who continued firing and no one knew exactly where he was, Livman volunteered himself. He got up and entered the field of fire precisely in order to draw the terrorist's fire. He instructed his comrades to identify the source of the fire and then shoot back. The terrorist in fact shot at Livman, miraculously not hitting him, and the other Israelis then fired back and killed the terrorist. When his friends later came to congratulate him for his self-sacrifice, he totally waved them off."
The other casualties included three IDF soldiers, five Border Guard policemen, and three members of Kiryat Arba's first-response emergency team. The soldiers were:
* Lt. Dan Cohen, 22, of Jerusalem, survived by parents and two sisters;
* Sgt. Igor Drobitsky, 20, Nahariya, who immigrated six years ago. A combat medic, he was told to take cover, but instead went to help his comrades who were hurt, and was then killed.
* Cpl. David Marcus, 20, Maaleh Adumim, who immigrated from Russia with his father and brother six years ago; his funeral has not yet been set.
The five Border Guard policemen were:
* Sgt. Gad Rahamim, 19, Kiryat Malachi - a Border Guard policeman who recently received an award for capturing a wanted terrorist;
* Sgt. Yishayahu Davidov, 20, of Netanya;
* Sgt. Tomer Nov, 19, of Ashdod;
* Sgt. Netanel Machluf, 19, of Hadera - killed while helping rescue the wounded in the battle. He was the 31st casualty of the Oslo War from Hadera.
* Supt. Samih Sweidan, 31, who was buried yesterday in his Bedouin village near Idmit in the western Galilee.
The three Kiryat Arba residents killed in the attack were:
* Yitzchak Boanish, 46, survived by his wife and seven children;
* Alex Tsvitman, 26, who left a wife and child;
* Alex Duchan, 33, who left a wife and four children.
Yitzchak Boanish, commander of the team, married off his daughter - his oldest child - two weeks ago. Col. Weinberg used to eat some of his Sabbath meals in the Boanish home when it was his turn to remain in Hevron. Boanish was admired for his ability to calm people down during times of strife, and for his "speak little, do much" demeanor. The funeral of the three Kiryat Arba emergency team fighters began in their hometown this morning, and continued to the Givat Sha'ul cemetery in Jerusalem, where they were buried with military honors. The families had demanded that their contribution to the military infrastructure and civil defense in the region be thus recognized.
Eleven Israelis wounded in the attack remain hospitalized, including four in serious condition. Arutz-7's Effie Meir reports that the terrorists, who hid in three different places along the route known as "Worshipers' Way" between Hevron and Kiryat Arba, threw grenades and fired special A-3 bullets that cause extra damage; one civilian fighter who was shot in the leg had to have his leg amputated shortly afterwards. Residents of Gaza danced in the streets upon hearing the news of the battle.
* Story of Heroism *
"With the deaths of the Brigade Commander, Chief Operations Officer, and the head of the civil emergency team, the man who filled the void was Eliyahu Livman of Hevron," Meir reported. "He took charge of all the many forces there. When one terrorist was left who continued firing and no one knew exactly where he was, Livman volunteered himself. He got up and entered the field of fire precisely in order to draw the terrorist's fire. He instructed his comrades to identify the source of the fire and then shoot back. The terrorist in fact shot at Livman, miraculously not hitting him, and the other Israelis then fired back and killed the terrorist. When his friends later came to congratulate him for his self-sacrifice, he totally waved them off."