In message to family before entering Lebanon, slain soldier says he’s proud to embark on mission so future generations won’t have to

Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster’s family has released the final video he sent to them earlier this week before he was killed fighting in Lebanon earlier today.

“To my dear family. GK Chesterton once said that that ‘The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him,’” Oster says, reflecting on Israel’s northern border communities, which he laments have been turned into “ghost towns” over the past year due to repeated Hezbollah rocket fire.

“This was one of the hardest things for me to see,” he says.

Oster assures his family he and his soldiers are well-prepared for the mission at hand against Hezbollah.

“The time has come and our mission is to allow the residents of the north to return to their homes,” he says, adding that he views this as a “historic opportunity” that he is proud to take on so that his little nieces and nephews aren’t forced to deal with the same burden when they grow up.

“I embrace and recognize the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders and the responsibility I have for all of the soldiers under my command,” Oster continues.

He takes the opportunity to apologize to anyone in his family who he might have harmed over the past year and wishes them a happy new year.

“Until victory! I love you all,” he finishes.

The first killed Israeli soldier in Lebanon is Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster and he has filmed a short message to his family, friends and nation of Israel right before the start of the ground offensive in Lebanon. I have added English subtitles to it

RIP hero https://t.co/jGcLoFsFCb pic.twitter.com/ZhZaK5xSeQ

— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) October 2, 2024