Sgt.-Maj. Shigdaf Garmai

Nov 22: IDF tracker Sgt.-Maj. Shigdaf (Shai) Garmai, 30, of Lod, was killed Friday morning when an Israel Defense Forces Givati Brigade patrol near Tel Qateifa, in the Gaza Strip, came under Palestinian gunfire. Hamas claimed responsibility.

Garmai, a tracker, was leading the patrol, which was clearing a traffic artery in northern Gush Katif, when a Palestinian sniper fired a burst at him, mortally wounding him in the neck. He died within minutes, despite efforts by medics to save him.

The patrol returned fire and wounded the sniper, but he managed to escape to the nearby Deir al-Balah refugee camp.

Garmai, the second eldest of eight children, immigrated with his family from Ethiopia in 1989. He performed his compulsory military service and first stint in the regular army as a tracker, winning recognition for helping to track down escaped prisoners. He rejoined the professional army about three months before his death.

"Our mother wouldn't sleep at night from worry, especially since there were all kinds of incidents in Gaza," said Shai's brother, Binyamin. "Despite this, Shai loved the army and his job as a tracker very much. Whenever he talked with mother he'd try to calm her down and tell her that it was quiet in Gaza."

Shai's brother-in-law, Ovadia, recalled: "Shai was the kind of guy that everyone loved to be around; the good boy of the house. He had a girlfriend and he dreamed of establishing a family with her.