In Modi’in today (Wednesday), the funeral procession took place for Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel, 21, a soldier in the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon this week.
Residents of the city stood along the roads with Israeli flags and accompanied the funeral convoy on its way to the cemetery.
Gilad’s partner eulogized him through tears and said she received a bouquet of flowers this morning that he had sent her in advance, before he was killed.
“This morning, a courier rang. At first I thought it was a condolence bouquet, but on the note it said-‘Happy holiday from Lebanon, I love you even from afar.’ That describes the kind of person you were. You made me a happy person; I don’t know how to be without you. Our love was at first sight-we didn’t need much to know this was it."
Lt. Col. Yehiel Amoyal eulogized Harel on behalf of his comrades and commanders from Team 400 of the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit: “The Nahal Reconnaissance Unit leads battles deep in enemy territory with bravery and resourcefulness. Your friends and commanders are unable to be here today to salute you on your final journey. You fought on the battlefield like a hero and fell in battle like a hero." Three additional soldiers were killed in the same incident: Cpt. Noam Madmoni, Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, and Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis from Bat Yam.
Ta Katz, Gilad’s partner, spoke on the program “Binyamini and Guetta" on Kan News (Reshet Bet) about the sudden loss and the plans that will no longer come true: “I would have married him-I wanted him to be the father of my children. He was a golden person."
“It hit us out of nowhere; no one expected it," she said tearfully. “I was sure he would be out in another week. I had already made a reservation for us at a restaurant he loves."
Katz described how she received the difficult news: “I sent messages to his friends and tried to understand. One of his friends told me. During the conversation, Gilad’s father told my mother, and then I understood that it wasn’t a mistake or a prank."