
Israeli researcher Ze'ev (Jabo) Hanoch Erlich was killed on Wednesday at the age of 71 while accompanying IDF soldiers in Lebanon. His family was notified.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed Erlich's death and added that a soldier whose family has been notified fell in the same incident.
His name has not yet been cleared for publication and will be published later.
Additionally, an officer in the 13th Battalion, Golani Brigade was severely injured during the incident.
The officer was evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and his family has been notified.
Erlich, a resident of Ofra, was an expert on the history and geography of the Land of Israel and one of the founders of the field school in his town. He published dozens of studies about the Land of Israel and lectured at Lander and Moreshet Ya'akov-Orot Yisrael Colleges. At the same time, he worked to record antiquities sites in Judea and Samaria.
An initial investigation into the incident found that a force led by Golani Brigade Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Yoav Yarom entered the area where the brigade was operating. The force reached an ancient fort considered an archaeological site. Two terrorists hiding at the scene opened fire at the force, killing Erlich. Yarom was moderately wounded in the confrontation. The head of the IDF Personnel Directorate decided to recognize Erlich as an IDF casualty.
The IDF says the incident was severe and will be investigated because Erlich's entry to the battlefield as a civilian was not authorized as needed by the commanders of the division and command.
The Binyamin Regional Council wrote: "It is with great sorrow that we announce that the man of the Land of Israel, Ze'ev (Jabo) Erlich, a long-time resident of Ofra, fell in southern Lebanon. Jabo Erlich, aged 71, a reservist, joined the IDF forces who were operating in Lebanon. He was a prominent researcher in the realm of the studies of the Land of Israel and its settlement. Jabo, a long-time resident of Ofra in Binyamin, was married to Tamar and a grandfather."
Binyamin Governer Israel Ganz eulogized: "We are shocked by Jabo's death. A man whose name symbolized the knowledge and love for the land. He was one of the pioneers of the settlement movement and a mainstay of the Ofra community. Thousands of those who loved the land were raised and will be raised on the findings and insights he brought to the world through a great love of the Holy Land, its tradition, and the history of the Jewish people on it. We send our condolences to dear Tamar and the wider Erlich family, and embrace the Ofra community."