Family and friends attended the funeral of Sergeant First Class (res.) Idan Keinan, 21, from Ramat Gan, a soldier in the Nachshon Battalion (90) of the Kfir Brigade, who was killed yesterday by sniper fire in Gaza.
Idan's 88-year-old great-grandmother wept: "I want everyone here to know, I am an 88-year-old great-grandmother, this is the greatest punishment I have experienced – to bury my eldest great-grandson, who is only 21 years old."
She shared: "Every day I would ask: 'Has he come home? Is he coming? Is he okay?' On Saturday afternoon, his grandmother, Yehudit, said to me: ‘I don’t feel good. It’s not good,’ and I didn't understand why she was saying that.’"
"This is the greatest tragedy possible," she added, adding: "Idan, I love you, you are my eldest great-grandchild. I should have been there instead of you. You should be burying me."
Linoi, Idan's sister, eulogized: "You were the best brother one could ask for. There is no one who met you throughout your life and does not remember you fondly. There is no one who does not love you. Even so, all this love doesn't compare to my love for you. I thank you so much for everything you've been to me. I will never forget you, I will always miss you and I know you will always be here for me."