Lt. Gil Badihi

Mar 13, 2002 - Lt. Gil Badihi, 21, of Nataf died of injuries suffered Wednesday morning in Ramallah. He was shot in the head by a Palestinian gunman as he stood next to his tank.

During an IDF operation in western Ramallah, exchanges of fire developed between the IDF force and several terrorists. As a result of the terrorist fire, Lt. Gil Badihi was seriously wounded and was transferred to hospital in order to receive medical treatment, where he died from his wounds

Gil was the eldest child in the Badihi family. He was born and grew up in Jerusalem, and moved with his his family to Nataf, in the Judean hills, 12 years ago. Gil attended the Harel High School in Mevaseret Zion and then joined the army, serving in the Armored Corps.

Lt. Gil Badihi was the commander of a tank platoon. After his compulsory service he had signed up to serve in the regular army, and was planning to continue his military career. "He loved the army and believed in what he did. He gave it everything he could," said Naama Kronstien, a close friend. "He was a shy and quiet person. He enjoyed hiking and scouting. Throughout high school he volunteered with Magen David Adom."

Lt. Gil Badihi is survived by his parents, Yael and Avner, and his five siblings: Shai, Tal, Naama, Or, and Ziv.