Captain Eitan Oster, of blessed memory, a commander in the Egoz Unit, was killed in action in southern Lebanon. His father, Dov Oster, shared in an interview with journalist Kalman Lieberman the story of his son's life, his deep commitment to military service, and his last moments of heroism.
"He fought to leave guidance and command soldiers in Gaza and succeeded," Dov said proudly. "He had a list of the hostages in his uniform, to always remember what he was fighting for."
Eitan, who was a revered counselor in Bnei Akiva, chose combat service out of a desire to make an impact. "He believed that as a commander he could make a difference," his father said. Dov emphasized: "He wasn't born a hero, he made himself one. It was his choice to always be at the forefront. He had to excel and put in effort for that."
On October 7, despite being on leave, Eitan hastened to enlist and took part in defending the Gaza region. When they met afterwards, Eitan surprised his father with his strength and said: "Now it’s our turn, I’m ready".
Eitan led a team in the special forces unit Egoz, which specializes in camouflage and guerrilla warfare, and participated in all the unit's battles, including retrieving bodies in Khan Yunis. "He was proud that his team was chosen to be part of the force," his father said.
In the last battle, Eitan was "at the very forefront in Lebanon," according to his father. "He knew it was a mission with low chances of returning alive, but he wanted to be there." After being injured, "his soldiers heroically extracted him," Dov shared with pride mixed with pain.
On Friday evening, Eitan entered Lebanon with his unit, and on Tuesday night he was injured. "We talked a few hours before they went in. It was a regular procedure for him to talk to his parents and send a filmed greeting to the family."