Lt. Col. M., whose identity has not been approved for publication, was killed in a botched intelligence-gathering operation in Gaza late Sunday. His death was described by Israeli officials familiar with the top-secret details of the operation as "heroic," with family and friends joining countless ministers and MKs in eulogizing him Monday.
"This is unbelievably difficult news," one relative of the fallen officer told Israel Hayom. "For all of us, the entire community, not just for the family. He was a young man who left the community in the eighth grade and went off to study at a boarding school. He dedicated his entire life to the military."
"He was very social, contributing a lot of his time to others. He helped a lot of people in need. I know that he was in a very elite unit. The loss is profound," the relative said.
The relative recalled receiving the tragic news of M.'s death, saying, "We heard there was an incident and we heard that he was killed. The family didn't know exactly what he did [in the military]. We knew he held a senior post. He had a wife and two children. His wife works in the health field and helps children. His father is retired. We are all in shock. It's a terrible surprise – we weren't expecting this."
"We met just a week ago, I spoke to him. He wanted to leave the military in a few months and embark on a second career. He could have done anything he wanted, he had a good head on his shoulders. He was a source of pride for all of us, both in terms of his military career and personally, too," he said.
M.'s father spoke to the Israeli media after learning of his son's death, saying only that "this is a profound loss. I hope that my son will be the last one to be lost for the people of Israel."
Another of M.'s acquaintances described him as a "hero of Israel."
M., 41 in his death, is survived by a wife and two children. His funeral was scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m.
