Staff sergeant Natan Fitoussi, the IDF soldier who was killed overnight in a friendly fire incident near the city of Tulkarm, was laid to rest this evening at the Netanya military cemetery.
Fitoussi's brigade commander Lieutenant Colonel Ran Cohn spoke at the funeral, which was attended by hundreds. "You were a motivated soldier, full of willpower and pride. A man with a heart of gold, full of faith. You immigrated to Israel and you bound your fate to the country."
The commander addressed the bereaved family: "you have become part of the Nahshon brigade and part of the Kfir battalion, and we will always be there for you. Natan, I salute you."
Attel and Saluma, Natan's older sisters said: "Natan was a hidden 'tzaddik' (righteous individual), he strengthened our faith. He would greet everyone with a smile, even strangers on the street. We lived in Paris and we immigrated eight years ago because we're Zionists, we all enlisted in the IDF. Before the bereavement officer knocked on our door at midnight, we already knew that the bad news was coming. We always say the best go first, it's not for naught that G-d took him. There isn't anyone that didn't know him. We ask the people of Israel to pray."
His friend Aharon Ben Yaish told Kan Bet: "Natan and I moved together to Israel. We went to the same school, we were in the same class. We came from France in 2015 and we wanted to enlist, Natan wanted to join the IDF for a long time, he was just waiting for it."
"He was a 'tzaddik' with an incredible heart. He loved everyone, with a good heart. I met up with him last week and asked how the army's going since we don't serve together. He told me that he really likes his job and that he's really happy to serve there. I still can't believe that my best friend was killed."