Sgt. Maj. Ra'anan Komemi

Sept 5, 2003 - Sgt. Maj. Ra'anan Komemi, 23, of Moshav Aminadav, from the Naval Commando unit was killed in a clash with armed Palestinians in Nablus.

The commandos were seeking to apprehend a senior Hamas bomb maker, Mohammed Hanbali, who orchestrated several fatal suicide bombings and was responsible for the death of dozens of Israelis. Close to 4 A.M., soldiers on the third floor tried to open the doors of an elevator, which was stuck between the third and fourth floors. Hanbali, who had jammed the elevator, lay on its roof and when the soldiers tried to open the doors, fired and threw a hand grenade at them. Komemi, who headed the force, was hit in the chest, above his bullet proof vest and died shortly afterward. Four others were wounded, one severely. Soldiers on the fourth floor opened fire and threw a grenade into the elevator shaft, killing Hanbali.

Ra'anan's friends said it had been his dream to serve in the naval commandos and that he had turned down an opportunity to serve in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. Deferring his enlistment, he underwent laser surgery to correct his vision in order to accepted into the commandos. In the meantime, he continued his studies, trained for the army by running long distances, and worked as a delivery boy for a hamburger chain. Ra'anan was also a motorcycle buff.

The only son in a family of four children from Moshav Aminadav just outside Jerusalem, Komemi was known for deeply loving his relatives and friends. His uncle Hanoch said that in high school, Komemi took an after-school job when he didn't have to just to take his mother on a trip to London before he enlisted. From an early age, Komemi stood out in pictures, with a smile that showed his good nature. At the ORT high school in Jerusalem where he studied he always excelled, Hanoch said.

Sgt. Maj. Ra'anan Komemi was buried in the Mount Herzl military cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Zecharya and Yekara, and three sisters.