Hundreds of family members and friends are attending the funeral of Master Sergeant (Res.) Abraham Azulay following his death during operational activity in the Gaza Strip yesterday.
Rabbi David Dudkevitch, the rabbi of the Itamar community, eulogized the fallen soldier: "How beloved you were. All your life, you and your friends were soldiers without uniforms, from morning until night, emissaries of the nation. From the righteous war, you left your home, your wife, and went to ascend to the altar of our father Abraham."
Rabbi Chaim Ben-Shushan also delivered a eulogy: "Abraham, a hero, a man of war, quiet, modest, and graceful. God-fearing, we learned Torah together, diligent. A hero and a righteous man. You went out to conquer the land and settle it. You went out to erase the seed of Amalek from the world."
A friend of his eulogized and shouted a message to the government: "Our people are scarred from this strip of land, we’ve been carrying scars for too many years from such a small, foul place. Remove everyone from there, end this story, and return governance to the people."
Azoulay, 27, from the Shaked outpost in the hills of Itamar, was killed while working on an engineering vehicle in Gaza, three months after his wedding.
According to an initial investigation, during an operation by the IDF forces in Khan Yunis, terrorists who emerged from underground tunnels attacked an IDF unit. During the assault, the terrorists attempted to abduct Abraham, who served as a mechanical equipment operator. He fought back, but the terrorists shot and killed him. Security forces in the area opened fire on the terrorists, hitting several of them and preventing the kidnapping.
Abraham is survived by his wife, whom he married three months ago, his parents, and siblings. He is the son of Yitzhak and Yifat Azulay from the settlement of Elazar in Gush Etzion.
Azoulay is the third casualty from Itamar since the outbreak of the war He was among the many residents of Itamar who came to assist the IDF in Gaza with heavy engineering equipment.