When a rocket launched from Gaza hit the Eshkol regional council on Wednesday it exploded near Lt. Boris Yarmolnik. The reserves officer was seriously wounded and taken to the hospital. On Thursday, a hospital spokesman said Yarmolnik, 28, had succumbed to his wounds.

The number of casualties of the Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza rose to six with the passing of Yarmolnik.

Dr. Michael Sharf, head of the Soroka Medical Center to which Yarmolnik was taken, said, "The soldier arrived at 6:00 in the evening on Wednesday. He was transported by helicopter in critical condition, with a severe head injury caused by shrapnel. He was taken to the trauma unit where doctors tried to stabilize his condition. The best doctors cared for him, but despite their efforts he passed away."

Yarmolnik was a graduate of the Tchernichovsky High School in Netanya and a student of physics at Tel Aviv University. He was called up for emergency service last Friday and was placed in charge of ordnance on the base. Seconds before the rocket landed near him, Yarmolnik was busy distributing equipment to soldiers in his unit.

Yarmolnik's parents, Gennady and Asphor, who were constantly at his bedside as he lay connected to a life-support system, were devastated by the news of his death.

A relative said the Yarmolnik family immigrated to Israel 20 years ago, when Boris was eight years old and his brother, Yevgeny, was four.

"This is a quiet, gentle and decent family. Our hearts ache for them. He was such a good boy and didn't deserve this," a relative said.

Yarmolnik was laid to rest in a military cemetery in Netanya on Friday. He is survived by his parents and a 24-year-old brother.