IDF soldier Abraham Azulay killed in Khan Yunis during attempted abduction
St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip after terrorists emerged from a tunnel and tried to abduct him, the IDF reported Wednesday.
Azulay fought back until the terrorists shot him, it said. Soldiers opened fire, struck several terrorists, and thwarted the abduction.
Azulay was a vehicle operator in Southern Command's combat engineering unit.
Azulay, from Yitzhar in Samaria, got married three months ago. He is survived by his wife, his parents, and siblings.
Azulay grew up in Elazar in Gush Etzion, moved to Yitzhar as a teenager, established a labor company, and was one of dozens of Yitzhar residents who assisted the IDF in Gaza by operating heavy engineering equipment. He is the third Yitzhar resident to die in the Israel-Hamas War.
Azulay enlisted in the Paratrooper Brigade's 202nd Battalion, from which he was discharged from regular service as a staff-sergeant. Since the outbreak of the war until March 2024, he had completed 66 days of reserve duty, the IDF said.
Following a period of absence without leave, during which he was confined to military prison and demoted to the rank of private, Azulay returned to reserve duty and completed an additional 201 days, the IDF said.
Last month, he was called up for reserve duty and served as a heavy equipment operator, performing engineering work under the Southern Command.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, with the approval of Defense Minister Israel Katz and a recommendation from Azulay's commanders, restored his rank and posthumously promoted him to staff-sergeant-major, the IDF said.
Ortal Yohad, Azulay's aunt, wrote on Facebook: 'Already in basic training, you were outstanding. Later, you were an outstanding sniper. In every path you took, you excelled. Always first. You got married on April 3 in a joyful and special wedding, in Samaria, near the home you built for Ruth. Only three months and five days passed. You didn't get to do anything. You returned to Gaza a week after the wedding.'
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said: 'Abraham, of blessed memory, was a hero, a true pioneer, a builder of hilltops and farms. He worked to develop and prepare farms and blaze new roads in Samaria. He was utterly devoted to settling and defending the Land of Israel.
'He came to Samaria as a teenager to help build it and was one of our best and bravest, building the hilltops with courage and love. Abraham was the 31st fallen soldier from our council in the Swords of Iron war. He gave his life for the people and the land while doing what he loved and believed in – building the land.'
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