Staff Sergeant Shoham Menachem, 21, a tank crew member, was killed Monday during combat operations in the northern Gaza Strip. He walked in his father's footsteps – Shmuel Menachem, who served as a tank crew member and was wounded and captured by Egyptian forces during the Yom Kippur War.
Samuel Menachem shared his wartime experience on the "Israel POW" association website, which connects soldiers who experienced captivity. He served as a tank crew member in the 79th Battalion during the Yom Kippur War and recounted how their camp came under attack from Egyptian aircraft bombardments and his force – three tanks – advanced toward the canal. At dawn, they walked into an Egyptian infantry ambush.
Shmuel recounted passing the ambush at high speed, but another tank took a hit. He heard Lieutenant Gabi's voice on the radio reporting, "I've been hit, the Egyptians are surrounding me... they're climbing onto the tank," followed by silence. When they returned to assist, his tank was struck in the track and became immobilized. The commander ordered abandonment under fire.
He described the moments of intense Egyptian fire as they fled from the tank, recalling "The Egyptians unleashed hellish fire at us. I spotted a damaged tank and an armored personnel carrier. I ran to the second tank, took a defensive position, and returned fire with my damaged Uzi."
Shmuel described the horror when the Egyptians moved between the soldiers and executed the wounded soldiers, saying, "They went from soldier to soldier and shot him to death. I waited in agony for my turn to die. I was furious that this was happening at the war's beginning, and I hadn't managed to fight enough. The Egyptians fired. Fortunately, the bullets struck beside me." He was eventually captured and fell into captivity.
Sharon Menachem, Shoham's cousin, explained, "Shoham insisted on being in this battalion because of his father's story. He was truly his parents' pride, with a desire to contribute to the state. He always said everything was good, everything was fine. He was helping and assisting everyone. His father supported him out of a belief in serving the country.
"I have a son his age. They are three friends – one in paratroopers and another with armor units. It was important for Shoham to contribute, and he received full support from his parents. He was supposed to be discharged in four months. Since October 7, he has been serving constantly in Gaza. He felt he was contributing. He told me, 'Sharon, we are winning. We are doing our job.' Everyone worries, but we grew up believing in serving the greater good, not just ourselves."
