Oded Sharon

Jan 18, 2005 - Oded Sharon, 36, of Gan Yavne, an Israel Security Agency officer, was killed in a suicide bombing attack at the Gush Katif junction in the central Gaza Strip. While search procedures were being implemented at a post by the crossing, the suicide bomber detonated himself.

The attack at the junction, the main intersection of north-south traffic in the Gaza Strip, occurred at around 6:45 PM, when the bomber was stopped for a security check at the checkpoint. The man was first superficially examined and then taken into a trailer used for more thorough body searches of suspects. The terrorist detonated the bomb, killing ISA officer Oded Sharon. In addition, an IDF officer was seriously wounded, and four IDF soldiers and three members of the ISA were lightly wounded. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Oded and his wife Ranit grew up in Rishon Lezion. Oded studied with Dalit, Ranit's sister, at the Gymnasia Realit Secondary School in Rishon Letzion and in 1994, he married her sister. They moved to Gan Yavne about three years ago. Oded served in the IDF Engineering Corps. Before joining the Israel Security Agency about two years ago, he worked for the police and Internet Zahav. He was currently serving as an ISA field coordinator in the Gaza area.

"He was a wonderful father. He tried to spend as much time as he could with his children," said Oded's sister-in-law Bruria. "He was overjoyed when his son was born after two daughters," a neighbor added. One of his friends related, "He didn't tell us much about his work, but we understood that he contributed a lot to the country. We will probably never know about all he did."

Oded Sharon will be buried in Gan Yavne after his father and brother return from abroad. He is survived by his wife Ranit, two daughters - Yuval, 9, and Yarden, 6 - and a son, Daniel, almost 2, as well as his parents, Yona and Yaakov, and three siblings Dafna, Noam and Eyal.