Maj. Roee Negri, 28: Computer programmer slain 6 weeks after wedding
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7
Maj. (res.) Roee Negri, 28, a LOTAR unit commander, from Tel Aviv, was killed on October 7 battling the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Be’eri.
Roee was called up to reserve duty the day of the Hamas attack. He gathered together others in his LOTAR special ops team, and they were among the first to arrive at Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit kibbutzes.
There they spent hours going home by home, rescuing civilians and battling with Hamas gunmen holed up inside buildings in the kibbutz.
In one home, around 11 p.m. on Saturday evening, Roee was ambushed by a Hamas terrorist hiding in the bathroom and was killed, along with his comrades Master Sgt. (res.) Omri Belkin and Maj. Sagi Golan.
He was buried in Herzliya on October 11. He is survived by his wife, Shai, his parents, Michal and Shmulik, and his sisters Gal and Gaya.
Shay and Roee were married on August 23, 2023, just six weeks before he was killed.
Born and raised in Ra’anana, Roee attended local schools in the city, according to a memorial website.
He loved beach volleyball, running and bowling, and was an avid fan of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team, according to a eulogy on the team’s website.
Roee had recently completed a bachelor’s degree at Tel Aviv University in computer science and management and he worked as a programmer at the Salto financial startup. He also headed up a nonprofit for LOTAR veterans, and did regular reserve duty.
His sister, Gal, wrote on Facebook to “my little brother, a ray of light and joy with an enormous smile that could never be erased, who went along with everything, always.”
The two of them “loved to hang out together, you were my brother but more than anything you were such a good friend.”
In a memorial video on Channel 13, Roee’s wife, Shai, recalled how just six weeks earlier, they stood under the huppa (wedding canopy), “looked at each other with shining eyes full of joy, happiness and excitement for our shared future.”
“We promised it would be for life and that we’d always be together no matter what,” she added. By the time he was killed, she said, “I hadn’t even gotten used to calling you my husband.”
“I was privileged to be by your side for three years, which felt like so much more,” she said. “You taught me so many things about life, about the right perspective, how to look at things positively, how to always look at the other side of the coin.”
Roee, she said, “always wanted and made sure that things would be the best for me. We always got excited together about every little thing… with blind faith, I counted on you that you’d take me with you hand in hand everywhere. You challenged me every time anew.”
Shai said, “Every time I looked at you, it was with admiration at who you are and how you lived life… you were the best at everything.”