Ashkelon Mourns Fallen Soldier Ron Reitman, Hundreds Honor Him

The city of Ashkelon bid farewell on Sunday to Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Reitman, 23, who fell defending the homeland last Friday in a shooting attack at the Yehuda Junction. Hundreds of youths and residents, including local police and municipal supervision teams, lined the road to the military cemetery, waving Israeli flags in a solemn tribute. The flags were distributed by the municipality along the path to the cemetery, creating a moving, silent chain of human flags. Reitman was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Ashkelon.

Reitman was killed in a severe shooting attack near Hebron. According to the IDF spokesperson, two terrorists opened fire on Route 35, killing two people and wounding several others. IDF forces eliminated the terrorists after a 20-minute firefight. The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, held an urgent situation assessment with senior security officials following the attack, revealing concerning details about the terrorists' plan. Zamir stated that the soldiers' swift action prevented an even more serious attack.

Intelligence estimates presented during the assessment indicated the two terrorists departed from Hebron with a large amount of ammunition in their vehicle, intending to carry out a significant attack. They were armed with an M4 automatic rifle and a pistol, and their car contained a "brus" (likely referring to a weapon or explosives) with additional ammunition. The terrorists planned to drive onto Route 35, which connects Hebron to central Israel, but were stopped at a temporary IDF checkpoint near Yehuda Junction.

In response to the attack, IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police forces launched a counter-terrorism operation in the Hebron area, focusing on identifying and neutralizing terror infrastructure and weaponry. The operation is concentrated in the area from which the terrorists operated and is expected to last several days.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Hebron on Friday and announced the implementation of a new offensive model in the neighborhoods from which the terrorists originated. He stated that this model, previously used successfully in refugee camps, would be applied in Hebron, involving resident evacuation, house-to-house searches for weapons, and the destruction of all terror infrastructure. Netanyahu also addressed the attack, noting that enemies had attempted to harm Israelis ahead of elections and praised the soldiers for their bravery in stopping and eliminating the terrorists.