Hundreds of mourners arrived at a military cemetery in Netanyahu Wednesday evening to pay their respects to Maj. Bar Falah, 30, who was killed earlier in the day in an exchange of fire with Palestinian terrorists in Jenin.
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"We promised that we would go through this together, we knew what we were getting into," his wife, Ariel Saban, said. "It's hard for me to find the words to describe what a good man you are and how much you achieved. You said, 'nothing will happen to me, my beautiful. Who can do anything to me?' But my biggest nightmare happened."
Falah's brother, Amos, said "How much strength you had, how much bravery, resilience, leadership and love you had. Mom's home is full of young people crying and in pain — Students you taught to surf and ski, your soldiers and commanders in the army. How can you say goodbye to a brother?"
He also mentioned their father, who had passed away a few years earlier, saying "Why didn't you listen to dad who told you, 'Don't be a hero. Just come home safely'? Now he's watching over you."
Prime Minister Yair Lapid also offered his condolences, saying, "Bar was a dedicated soldier, who fought terror and led his troops until his last hour. The operation in which he was killed thwarted a major terrorist attack and saved lives. We feel the pain of his loss together with you. May Bar's memory be a blessing."
Echoing similar sentiment, Netanya Mayor Miriam Fierberg said, "Heavy mourning has fallen over our city. "Beyond being an exemplary officer, Maj. Bar Falah was an amazing friend and excellent surfer, loved by everyone who knew him on account of his great love of the country, the city, and the IDF. He lead dozens of initiatives to distribute food baskets to the needed and always volunteered to help everyone."
Jenin, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's stronghold in the West Bank, has seen a surge of violence in recent months, leading to counterterrorism operations in the area. The most recent spate of lethal Palestinian street attacks in Israeli cities in March led to Operation Breakwater which has continued ever since, with occasional clashes in various Palestinian cities between troops and terrorists.
Before dawn on Wednesday, the IDF said, troops intercepted two men spotted approaching an Israeli barrier near the Jalame Crossing north of Jenin, a Palestinian town that has seen near-nightly friction between the sides. The terrorists opened fire, killing one officer, who was later identified as Falah, and were shot dead by the other troops, the military said.
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