‘He had so many dreams’: Israel mourns soldier killed in West Bank shooting attack

Hundreds of mourners gathered Sunday at the Neve Hadar military cemetery in Hod Hasharon, central Israel, to bid farewell to Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, who was killed Friday in a shooting attack near the West Bank city of Hebron. Svilem, a soldier in the 755th Battalion of the Home Front Command Search and Rescue Brigade, was killed alongside Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, a squad commander in the same battalion. Roytman was laid to rest earlier Sunday. Svilem was the eldest of three children born to Amnon and Sivan Svilem and the older brother of Shira and Itamar. Family members and friends described him as a quiet, kindhearted and beloved young man who was always willing to help others. Capt. Or, commander of the battalion's Eitan Company, praised Svilem's actions during the attack, saying he had helped prevent a much larger assault. "Terrorists arrived at the scene, and the force thwarted the attack," Or said in his eulogy. "Yuval was an outstanding and energetic soldier. He fought the terrorists, returned fire and prevented a major and significant attack. He fell in heroic combat." "Yuval was someone you could always turn to," he added. 'We thought he would have so much more time' Svilem's parents, Amnon and Sivan, delivered emotional eulogies, recalling their son's ambitions and the future they had imagined for him. "Our boy was only 20 years old," his father said, thanking those who had come to accompany his son on his final journey. "He had so many dreams. We thought he would have so much more time. We wanted to see him build a life, and now we are left with longing and pain, with everything we will never get to experience." Amnon referred to the weekly Torah portion, Lech Lecha, which recounts God's command to Abraham to leave his homeland. "He died during the week of Lech Lecha, and he went to a high and good place, a place everyone would want to reach, just as you did. You reached the very highest heights," he said. But his grief also turned to anger as he demanded answers from the military and the government about the circumstances of his son's death. "Our home has fallen apart. We are not living. They took our souls," he said. "Yuval wanted to save his friend. He was hit, and his weapon jammed. We will not give up. We want to know how we reached this situation." Amnon called for the families of the Palestinian terrorists to be expelled from Israel before the end of the seven-day Jewish mourning period, known as shiva. "We will not forget, and we will not remain silent. We hope the government and the judiciary will take this into account," he said. "The terrorists shattered several families and took everything from us." "Just as they destroyed our families, I demand that the state expel them from the country before the end of the shiva," he continued. "If the state does not do its job, we will take matters into our own hands. The military should have been prepared, and if the state does not act, we will take the law into our own hands. That is my final pledge to Yuval." His sister, Shira, spoke of the private bond they had shared. "Only you and I know the secret language we had between us," she said. "Don't worry. The terrorists will not tarnish what you were to me." Svilem's cousin Linoy recalled the milestones he would never experience. "You were only 20. You hadn't had the chance to do anything — not to travel, not to get married," she said. "You were brutally murdered by a criminal. You were clearing a jam in your weapon, and in an instant, a bullet struck you. Now you're no longer here." Linoy described her cousin as generous, sensitive and funny, a devoted older brother who always looked out for his siblings. "Yuval was a child who gave to others, a sensitive and funny person, a good brother who always protected his siblings," she said. "A wonderful young man was murdered in cold blood, and he will never return. Nothing will ever fill the hole left here." "We hope you weren't afraid or in pain. Send us strength, and rest in peace, our hero." Another cousin, Ben, said he had always imagined speaking about Svilem at his wedding, never at his funeral. "I imagined I would speak about you only at your wedding, not under these circumstances," he said. "He took command and prevented civilians from being harmed. He went beyond his capabilities and did everything to protect the people of Israel." Ben recalled a conversation before Svilem enlisted in the military. "Before he joined the army, he told me he wanted to go as far as possible in the military because he knew there was nobody else to protect us," he said. "It seems you reached the place you wanted, the unit that goes deep into enemy territory. Yuval Shai was the pillar of our family." 'You were a hero who saved lives' National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attended the funeral and delivered a eulogy. Hod Hasharon Mayor Amir Kochavi was the final speaker, recalling Svilem's devotion to his family and the small gestures that had defined his character. "I looked into your eyes, the eyes of a good soul," Kochavi said. "Since Friday, I have been hearing about you, about the wonderful boy you were. The boy who looked after his mother and grandmother, whether near or far, who performed Havdalah with his father, Amnon, and who kept in touch with his childhood caregiver." Havdalah is the Jewish ceremony marking the end of the Sabbath. "You were not just a boy, not just a soldier. You were a hero who saved lives," Kochavi said. "In recent years, we have known far too much pain. May we find a way to end this cycle of bereavement and suffering." Deadly gunbattle near Hebron The attack occurred Friday at approximately 7:10 a.m. at the Yehuda Junction near Hebron, a major Palestinian city in the southern West Bank. According to the IDF, two Palestinian gunmen arrived at the junction in a vehicle, got out and opened fire on Israeli troops stationed in the area. Svilem and Roytman were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire, while three other soldiers sustained minor injuries. The gunbattle lasted more than 20 minutes before additional Israeli forces arrived, maneuvered around the attackers and shot them dead. Security forces subsequently discovered a large quantity of ammunition inside the attackers' vehicle. Security officials believe the two terrorists had been preparing to carry out a larger attack against civilians and that the soldiers' response prevented potentially more extensive casualties. Following the shooting, the IDF launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the Hebron area. Svilem and Roytman were the first two soldiers from the 755th Battalion to be killed in action since the unit was established within the past year. The battalion is part of the Home Front Command's Search and Rescue Brigade, whose soldiers are trained for rescue operations and combat missions. Military seals attackers' homes ahead of demolition Overnight Saturday into Sunday, Israeli forces operating under the Yehuda Brigade sealed the homes of the two Palestinian terrorists in preparation for their demolition. The military said the measures followed the shooting that killed Svilem and Roytman and wounded three other soldiers. Israel has long used punitive home demolitions against Palestinians who carried out deadly attacks, describing the policy as a deterrent against future violence. The two attackers were killed in the gunbattle with Israeli security forces.