St.-Sgt. Alon Avrahami

Oct 24, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Alon Avrahami, 21, of Or Yehuda was one of three soldiers killed when a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the army base in the Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim and opened fire on the soldiers' barracks. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for the attack.

At 4:20 AM, a Palestinian armed with a Kalachnikov rifle and a number of grenades infiltrated the security fence surrounding the Netzarim community and infiltrated an IDF base. The gunmen entered the female soldiers' barracks and opened fire, killing two - Sgt. Adi Osman and Sgt. Sarit Schneor-Senior - and seriously wounding another. St.-Sgt. Alon Avrahami, a medic, heard the initial gunfire and raced out of his quarters. He was shot and killed by the terrorist, who wounded another soldier before being intercepted and killed by IDF forces.

Alon Avrahami, the youngest of five children, attended the Yad Singalovsky vocational high school in Yad Eliyahu, specializing in electronics. His girlfriend said he had a good sense of humor. His hobby was photography.

Alon's friends said he always wanted to serve in a combat unit and was very critical of those who refused to serve in the army. A paramedic in the Shimshon Brigade, he was due to complete his compulsive army service in nine months time and was planning a trip to South America with a friend. Amihai Goldstein, a friend, described Alon, whose name means 'oak tree': "He was as his name says, tall, wide and deeply connected to the State of Israel."

St.-Sgt. Alon Avrahami was buried in the military cemetery in Holon. He is survived by his parents and four siblings.