Soldier wounded in Gaza succumbs to his injuries four months later
Sgt. First Class (res.) Nir Hadad, a father of two, was seriously wounded in incident that killed two of his comrades in northern Gaza in June
An Israeli soldier who was wounded fighting in Gaza in June succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, the IDF announced.
The soldier was named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Nir Hadad, 28, from Petah Tikva, of the 8th Armored Brigade’s 129th Battalion.
The IDF said that the reservist had been seriously wounded by an explosive device during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on June 15. After fighting for his life for the past four months, including undergoing several surgeries, he died of his wounds in the hospital, his family said.
Hadad is slated to be buried Sunday evening in the military cemetery in Petah Tikva.
He was wounded in the same incident in which Cpt. (res.) Eitan Koplovich and Warrant Officer (res.) Elon Weiss, 49, both also from the 8th Armored Brigade’s 129th Battalion, were killed, when an explosive device was detonated against their tank.
He is survived by his wife Chen and their two daughters, as well as his mother and siblings.
Hadad attended the Otniel hesder yeshiva before his army service. Rabbi Re’em Hacohen, the head of the yeshiva, eulogized Hadad as “a simple, pure man,” noting that it was no coincidence he died around Rosh Hashanah, “because his world was the world of a perfect man who feared God, acted purely… he left this world out of the holiness of Rosh Hashanah.”
Hacohen said that Hadad lost his father at a young age and was raised by a single mother. Ever since he was wounded, “we hoped and prayed that he would be able to breathe but ultimately he gave his soul back to the creator.”
Hadad’s death brings the toll of Israeli soldiers killed during the IDF ground operation in Gaza to 349, and of all soldiers killed since the start of the war to 727.
