Yonatan Evron

2 Nov 2005 -- St.-Sgt. Yonatan Evron, 20, of Rishon Lezion, was mortally wounded in a gun battle with terrorists near the West Bank town of Jenin before dawn Wednesday.

Evron's unit was providing security for an overnight raid on a terrorist hideout in the village of Marka when terrorists opened fire from ambush at about 3 a.m., wounding him. He died while being evacuated to a hospital by a medical helicopter.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Friends described Evron, who served in the elite Maglan unit, as an easygoing person who liked to hike around the country. A teacher at his Mikveh Yisrael High School in Holon, Yair Ganaton, noted that he had returned to Israel after a long absence in Kenya, where his parents had served as emissaries, and completed all of his difficult program of studies.

"He was the type of pupil you don't lose contact with," Ganaton said. "He was the kind of person whom you could see had something special, something very strong inside. He prepared himself thoroughly for military service."

"Yonatan was the love of my life," said Efrat Roth-Levy, Evron's girlfriend for nearly four years. "He was everything to me. We understood one another. I was so proud of him... Despite the fact that we were young, I knew I had someone to count on."

St.-Sgt. Yonatan Evron was buried at the Rishon Lezion Military Cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Avi and Talila, and younger brother, Itamar.