St.-Sgt. Kobi Eichelboim

Mar 10, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Kobi Eichelboim, 21, of Givatayim died Sunday afternoon from wounds suffered in the morning when a Palestinian gunman disguised as a worker opened fire at the entrance to Netzarim in the Gaza Strip.

St.-Sgt. Kobi Eichelboim and the community's head of security, Pinhas Seltzer were suspicious of the gunman's behavior, and called him over for questioning. Kobi was shot and later died of his wounds. Seltzer, who was stabbed succeeded in killing the terrorist.

Kobi was raised in Givatayim and attended elementary and high school there. His teachers described him as modest and responsible. He excelled in sports at school and was on the Hapoel Givatayim basketball team. In the army he served as a commander in a basic training camp of Givati soldiers.

"We were in basic training together. I learned everything from him. The soldiers around him felt safe. He was tall and strong. No one believed he would ever get hurt. He took care of his soldiers, bringing them tea to their posts. The day he was killed he was supposed to go home for holiday. He hadn't been home for two weeks," said his friend, Dror Atias.

St.-Sgt. Kobi Eichelboim was buried in Tel-Aviv's Kiryat Shaul military cemetery. He is survived by his parents and his older brother.