Funerals begin for 3 IDF soldiers killed in Egypt border shooting

4 June 2023, 5:01 pm

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Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, 20 (left), Sgt. Lia Ben Nun, 19 (center) and Staff Sgt. Ori Yitzhak Iluz, 20, combat soldiers in the IDF's Bardelas and Caracal battalions who were shot dead on the Egyptian border on June 3, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Funerals are underway for the three soldiers killed over the weekend by an Egyptian policeman who infiltrated into Israel under murky circumstances, with the processions held in each of the trio’s hometowns.

The funeral for Sgt. Lia Ben Nun began at 4:30 p.m. at the military cemetery in Rishon Lezion.

ליה בן נון, שנהרגה בפיגוע בגבול המצרי, מובאת למנוחות בראשון לציון | ישירhttps://t.co/sqelPLa9DD pic.twitter.com/w0Sm3JofK4

— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) June 4, 2023

The procession for Staff Sgt. Ori Yitzhak Iluz started at 5 p.m. at the military cemetery in Safed.

And the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan began paying their last respects at the same time at the military cemetery in Ofakim.

The three were combat soldiers in the mixed-gender light infantry Bardelas and Caracal battalions tasked with guarding the border.

According to the IDF’s initial probe, the Egyptian policeman infiltrated through the border through an emergency gate early yesterday morning. The small gate — held shut with just zip ties — is used by the IDF to cross the border when necessary, in coordination with the Egyptian army. The Egyptian army has claimed that the officer crossed the border to chase after suspects in a drug smuggling incident.