The Mount Hebron Regional Council announced "with great pain and sorrow" the death of First Sergeant Maor Lavi, a resident of Susya, who fell in battle in Gaza.
Lavi was interviewed yesterday by Channel Two about a menorah he found inside a terrorist's house in Gaza. Due to operational activity Lavi was not available at the time of the interview, and sent a recording in which he told about the events from entering the terrorist's house, and until the weapons and menorah were found.
"We saw the menorah on one of the shelves and took it. My gut feeling says that it was probably stolen on October 7th – I would like to return it to its owner," he said in the interview.
He added that on the seventh and eighth night of Hanukka, they used the Menora to light candles in Shuja'iyya: "It was an emotional experience."
Presenter Asaf Lieberman, who played the recording yesterday, wrote today: "Shock. Just yesterday we played a voice message on the program that Maor Lavi sent us. A sweet and generous soldier who found a menorah in the house of a terrorist in Shuja'iyya and wanted our help to return it to its owners. And now we have been informed that he has fallen In Gaza. There are no words. May his memory be blessed."
Chairman of the Mount Hebron Regional Council Yochai Damari said, "We embrace his family at this difficult time, his wife Inbar, a teacher at the Susya regional school. His daughters Hadar, Shani, Shahar and Adi, together with all the residents of the Susya community."
"Maor joins our many heroes who went out to defend the nation and the country and sacrificed his life in a heroic battle. A smiling and gentle man, who combined spirit and substance in his life, work with youth and manual labor. He was a youth coordinator in the community, a devoted and loving father to his four daughters."