St.-Sgt. Raz Mintz

Nov 2, 2001 - St.-Sgt. Raz Mintz, 19, of Kiryat Motzkin was killed by Palestinian gunmen 5:45 P.M. on Friday at an IDF roadblock at near Ofra, north of Ramallah.

St.-Sgt. Raz Mintz was manning the roadblock together with two other soldiers of the Duhifat unit when Palestinians drove up and opened fire, then fled in the direction of Ein Yabrud. Mintz was shot in the chest form the side, despite wearing a bulletproof vest. Another soldier sustained light injuries in the incident. The Fatah-affiliated Al-Aksa Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack.

Raz was the third of the four children of Yoav and Ora Pearl Mintz. Yoav, a well-known radio and cable television personality in the Haifa area, said that as a radio newscaster, he always feared the day he would be interviewed about his fallen son. He said, "All year long I've been reporting about soldiers who were killed. Now I feel as if I'm on live telecast. He was a present from heaven, 19 years and 7 months of optimism, humor and cynicism, a boy who loved his country and his family. He inspired those around him."

Raz Mintz graduated from Ort High School in his home town of Kiryat Motzkin, north of Haifa, majoring in computers. A IDF squad leader, was to have begun officer's training in a few weeks' time. He last spoke to his father late Thursday night, when he told him that he had traveled 30 kilometers to watch the soccer match between Hapoel Tel-Aviv, his favorite team, and Chelsea in London.

St.-Sgt. Raz Mintz was buried in the military section of the Zur Shalom cemetery. He is survived by his parents, his brothers Gal (28) and Or (14), and his sister Gal (24).