
Rotem Ya'ish, a 21-year-old recently discharged soldier from Modi'in, was killed on Friday in a motorcycle accident on the island of Ko Samui in Thailand.
He was the oldest of three children. His body will be brought to Israel later in the week.
Nine months ago, Rotem received the President’s Award for Excellence while serving as a combat soldier in the Shaked Battalion of the Givadi Brigade. He was discharged two months ago and flew to Thailand with his parents and two sisters for a family vacation.
His uncle, Dror, lamented: "Over the past year and a half, you fought in Gaza, how much we prayed, how much we worried, how much we feared those words 'cleared for publication.' Every small incident, like every family, we waited to hear that you weren't there. You lost peers, subordinates, commanders. Our beloved nephew, you received the President’s Award for Excellence, anything you touched, you succeeded. A true man, modest and determined, a rare combination in this world.
"You left Gaza like a lion, not before you left behind a generation of soldiers," the uncle added. "We were filled with pride when you 'came full circle' and passed on your beret at the end of training, just as you received the commander's beret. Just last week you left on a dream vacation, the entire family, to Thailand. What pictures you sent, how we rejoiced to see you having fun together. And on Friday, an hour before Shabbat began, the phone didn't stop ringing, and then I got the news - Rotem has passed. We are in pain and shock, we are not digesting the news."