Cpl. Elad Cohen

May 12, 2004 - Cpl. Elad Cohen, 20, of Jerusalem was one of five IDF soldiers killed when their armored personnel carrier exploded, apparently hit by an anti-tank rocket.

The APC, part of a military convoy traveling on the border road between Egypt and Rafah on the Philadelphi Route, was transporting dozens of kilograms of explosives to be used to detonate weapon-smuggling tunnels along the Israeli-Egyptian border near Rafah. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, in which five were killed and three wounded.

Elad, who lived with his family in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem, would have celebrated his 21st birthday in another month. He graduated from the Givat Gonen High School before joining the IDF Givati Brigade. A neighbor, Menahem Peri, described him as quiet and serious, who had very much wanted to serve in a combat unit, where he thrived, making many friends.

Cpl. Elad Cohen will be buried at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, Avi and Sarit, and two older brothers - Edan, 32, and Dor, 28.