St.-Sgt. Doron Cohen

Feb 15, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Doron Cohen, 21, of Rishon Lezion was one of four soldiers killed when their tank drove over an explosive device weighing 100 kgs while on patrol in the Gaza Strip. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

At about 8:20 on Saturday morning, the Patton M-60 (Magah) tank was carrying out the morning patrol about one kilometer southeast of Dugit. As part of the lessons learned in the wake of three previous incidents in the Strip in which Merkava tanks were attacked, an armored bulldozer advanced some 50 meters before the tank. The bulldozer apparently passed over the same spot, but failed to detonate the explosive device. A few seconds later, the tank set off the large bomb which led to a series of explosions inside the tank, apparently killing the vehicle's four-man crew immediately.

Doron Cohen grew up in Rishon Lezion where he attended the Beit Nahum High School, majoring in computers. He enlisted in the army two and a half years ago. Doron was the commander of the tank. He had been transferred to Gaza just two days before. Doron had made sure to include his friend, Sgt. Tal Alexei Belitzky, on his tank's crew; they were killed together.

His cousin said, "Doron served with his company in Bethlehem for a year and two months, in intensive operations. He loved his service in the Armored Corps and hoped to become an officer."

St.-Sgt. Doron Cohen was buried in the military cemetery in Rishon Lezion. He is survived by his parents, Yosef and Zehava, and his sister Michal.