St.-Sgt. Yigal Lifshitz

Apr 10, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Yigal Lifshitz, 20, of Rishon Lezion was killed when Palestinian terrorists opened fire before dawn on their base near Bekaot in the northern Jordan Valley.

At about 5:00 AM, two terrorists cut through the fence on a Golani training base in the Jordan Valley and opened fire on a tent in which soldiers were sleeping. St.-Sgt. Yigal Lifshitz and St.-Sgt. Ofer Sharabi were killed, and nine other IDF soldiers were wounded in the attack. The two terrorists were killed by IDF forces. The PFLP and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yigal immigrated to Israel 14 years ago with his parents and elder sister from Mogilov in Belarus. He excelled in sports at the Amit-Amal high school in Rishon Lezion. He was serving as driver of the company commander on the training base when he was killed. He would have celebrated his 21st birthday on April 28.

Friends described Yigal as a good friend who was always laughing. Although as a driver he was not responsible for the soldiers, he was always concerned about their behavior. Although he could have transfered to a non-combat unit, he chose to remain in Golani.

St.-Sgt. Yigal Lifshitz was buried in Rishon Lezion. He is survived by his parents, Fanny and Vladimir, and his sister Regina, 29.