The friends of Master Sergeant Etan Naeh, 26, from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, who served in the Duvdevan unit and was killed in battle in the southern Gaza Strip, eulogized him.
Shira, Etan's girlfriend, lamented: "Beloved Etan, we will miss your beautiful smile, the most giant heart, the joy."
Elad, a friend of the family, related: "He was a man of Torah, a man of good deeds, good looking, with sky-high potential. What a loss. That small and shy smile on the young and strong man. This serious silence, and suddenly, a small word, breaks it all with a small and exciting smile. A strong light. May G-d avenge your blood sevenfold, along with all of the fallen in Israel's wars."
Naeh was born and raised in Sde Eliyahu and was the fourth generation of his family on the kibbutz. He was the oldest son and left behind his parents, Keren and Avishai, and two siblings, Da'el and Amaliya.
He will be laid to rest on Monday at 1:00 p.m. at the cemetery of his kibbutz.
Yesterday, the kibbutz announced: "With great sorrow, we announce the falling of Etan Naeh, the son of Avishai and Keren, in battle in Gaza. We embrace the family and send our sympathies."