Lt. Ori Binamo

Dec 29, 2005 - Lt. Ori Binamo, 21, of Nesher was killed when a terrorist en route to carry out an attack in Israel detonated himself at roadblock set up near Tulkarm following an intelligence tip.

Following high security alerts of a suicide bomber who intended to infiltrate Israel to carry out a suicide bombing during the Hanukkah holiday, IDF forces had set up temporary roadblocks in the Tulkarm area in an effort to prevent the bomber from entering Israel.

At 9:15 A.M., a Palestinian taxi approached a checkpoint. Binamo, the platoon commander in charge of the checkpoint, instructed the three occupants to get out of the taxi, and asked that one, wearing a large overcoat, open the coat to be searched. The Palestinian refused and blew himself up, killing Binamo instantly. A second intended suicide terrorist also detonated his explosive belt and was also killed in the blast as well as the taxi driver and a third passenger. Three soldiers and seven Palestinians were wounded. The soldier who was guarding the inspection was seriously injured, and two other soldiers, as well as the occupants of several nearby Palestinian vehicles, were lightly injured.

Binamo was considered an outstanding platoon commander in the Nahshon Battalion. On Wednesday evening, just a day before the attack, his battalion commander had been asked to name his best platoon commander and unhesitatingly chose Binamo. He was supposed to have received a promotion in another two months, including an advancement to the position of company commander. Ori Binamo was posthumously elevated to the rank of lieutenant.

Ori was born and raised in the town of Nesher, near Haifa. "He loved Israel and was dedicated to his mission," relatives said. Binamo's family spoke Thursday of a young man who, as a child, loved flowers and hikes around Israel with his family. They added that when he went on leave from the army, Ori used to visit his soldiers at home to see how they were. Comrades spoke of him as the most loved platoon commander in the battalion, who brought a sewing machine to his base in order to repair his soldiers' torn uniforms.

At the funeral, his father read a letter that Ori had written at the age of 14, in which he expressed his hope that all of the people of the world could become friends and live in peace.

Ori Binamo was supposed to have been featured on Army Radio on Thursday, the day he was killed, as part of the annual "Shirutrom" event, raising money for the IDF Soldiers' Welfare Association. Einat Bing, who had been Ori's girlfriend for the past nine years, said that he had called her earlier that morning, telling her to listen to the radio broadcast. "Soon you'll hear me on the radio," he said. When the recording staff arrived at Binamo's base near Tulkarm, the battalion sergeant-major greeted them with tears in his eyes and informed them that he had been killed.

Lt. Ori Binamo was buried in the Haifa Military Cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Avi and Rosie, and three younger sisters - Hila (15), Na'ama (12), and Yuval (3).