Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Udi Ayelet

June 8, 2003 - Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Udi Ayelet, 38, of Eilat was one of four soldiers killed when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on an IDF outpost near the Erez checkpoint and industrial zone in the Gaza Strip.

At about 5:30 on Sunday morning, three terrorists wearing IDF uniforms and armed with Kalashnikovs and grenades passed through the checkpoint for Palestinian laborers on their way to work in the Erez industrial zone. They then crossed the fence and wall separating the outpost from the industrial zone. At the entrance to the outpost, the terrorists opened fire and threw grenades at a warrant officer, Sgt. Maj. Boaz Emete, who was fixing a tank, killing him. The terrorists continued to fire, killing two reserve soldiers on guard duty at the outpost gates - Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Udi Ayelet and Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Assaf Abergil. Penetrating into the outpost, they killed another reserve soldier, Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Chen Engel, and wounded four others, before being killed by soldiers from the response team. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad issued a joint statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

Udi Ayelet was born in Safed but grew up in Eilat, and was well-known in the city. He worked as a counselor at the Orim special-education school in Eilat that caters to mentally retarded children. He was responsible for the students' transportation and the school's afternoon activities. He also served as a basketball referee and had planned to travel abroad with the Eilat basketball club, but remained in Israel because he had been called up for reserve duty.

Although Udi and his wife Ethel were divorced two years ago, he spent time with his two sons every day. They had celebrated his older son Leon's bar mitzva just a week ago. On Saturday night he spoke to his son 10-year-old son Elie, and said, "Tell your mother that I want to come home." On Sunday morning, Ethel found a note left for her by Elie: "Mom, go back to Dad," it read.

Sgt. Maj. (Res.) Udi Ayelet was buried in the military section of the Eilat cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Mordechai and Shoshana, four siblings, and his two sons, Leon, 13, and Elie, 10.