Netanyahu Sends Condolences to Family of Fallen Givati Soldier Ohad Ya'ari

A week after Staff Sgt. Ohad Ya'ari was killed in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his family a personal letter of condolence. Ya'ari, 21, from Rehovot, served as a fighter in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade and studied at the Ma'alot hesder yeshiva.

In the letter, Netanyahu wrote, "I wish to express deep pain at the fall of your beloved, Staff Sgt. Ohad Ya'ari, in the campaign against Israel's enemies in Lebanon as part of the War of Revival." He said he had looked at Ya'ari's photo, "full of light," in IDF uniform, and had heard about the upbringing he received in the home that taught love of the people and the state, as well as the Torah he absorbed at Yeshiva Ma'alot and the sense of mission that guided his life.

Netanyahu added that Ya'ari went into battle in southern Lebanon "to ensure the security and safety of Israel's residents." He described him as someone who combined determination, inner strength, faith in the righteousness of the cause, excellence, kindness, generosity, and "captivating humility." According to the prime minister, "His nobility of spirit stemmed from your nobility of spirit. We have all been impressed by it in recent days."

Netanyahu closed by saying, "May the memory of the wonderful Ohad, one of the finest sons of the city of Rehovot, be preserved among us forever." Ya'ari's rabbi at the yeshiva, Rabbi Shai Hod, also eulogized him, saying that everyone who met him was won over by his charm, that he was deeply humble, much loved at the yeshiva, and strongly wanted to serve God with simplicity and connection.