Dr. Eitan Ne’eman, 45: Reserve combat medic died saving lives

Dr. Eitan Ne’eman, 45, was killed in action on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, while serving as a reserve combat medic. Ne’eman, a senior pediatrician at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva, was a married father of seven.

“Dr. Ne’eman z”l was saving lives on the first day of combat, in the trauma room in Soroka, and was recruited into the reserves to help rescue and save more lives. May his memory be for a blessing,” Soroka hospital said in a statement.

Ne’eman was an only son who had five older sisters. He grew up in Jerusalem’s Old City. He served in the Israeli Navy and then studied medicine, specializing in pediatric intensive care.

Eitan, “my dear and beloved cousin… saved the lives of many children, without any discrimination. He was raised on Torah and work values, had deeply strong morals, [was] modest with a great sense of humor. Eitan left behind his wife Yael and their seven children and a big, shocked, and loving family,” a relative wrote on Facebook in tribute.

A photo of Ne’eman praying against the background of the Sederot sign is likely the last one taken of him before his death. It was sent to the family by a member of the paramedic team he was serving with.