Hundreds of friends and family members are participating this morning (Friday) in the funeral procession of Sergeant Shilo Yosef Amir in the military section of the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem.
Shilo Amir, 22, of Kibbutz Meirav in Gilboa, who was killed yesterday in an attack near Kedumim.
The Commander of the Givati Reconnaissance Unit parted from his subordinate: "Shilo, we are standing here today in shock and pain. You enlisted in March 2021, and you went through challenging training to be a fighter in the unit. Throughout your service, you participated in complex operations, you were always first to volunteer. You were a man of truth, you spoke your mind. You did every mission until completion."
He recounted: "Yesterday, instead of going home, you chose to join your buddies from the unit to protect the citizens of Israel. You pursued contact with the enemy, and by that, you prevented harm to civilians, and you fell."
The rabbi of Kibbutz Meirav, Rabbi Eitan Zucker, eulogized: "You went up to heaven in a storm. For years we were neighbors since the day you were born, and we had it good. You always had a smile on your face. You always had a good word to say. A true friend. A good heart. Your home would come to life when you would come home. You always saw the good. Everyone knew that they could ask you for help."
The investigation of the attack revealed that the terrorist arrived alone, tried to enter the Jewish community, and opened fire on security guards near the Mitzpeh Yishai neighborhood before proceeding to the nearby Jit junction, where a firefight with Israeli security forces resulted in his death.
According to the IDF, "Security forces identified and stopped a suspicious vehicle for inspection. The soldier inspected the driver and his IDs and was then joined by a military patrol. The terrorist proceeded to open fire on the Israeli, who was killed on the spot. The forces responded with live fire, and the assailant fled. IDF soldiers and civilian security personnel pursued the assailant before neutralizing him."
IDF homefront command activated the town's alarm system and ordered residents to enter their homes.
The terrorist was identified as 19-year-old Ahmed Yassin Gaydan from the PA town of Qibya in Samaria. The Shin Bet said that he had no previous arrests on his record. Gaydan is the cousin of Mu'taz Khwaja, who carried out the attack on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv in March.
The terrorist's uncle, Suleiman Gaydan, carried out a suicide attack in the Beit El area in 1993. The military wing of Hamas, the Az ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, officially took responsibility for the attack.
In the meantime, Israeli forces killed two terrorists this morning (Friday) in the Kasbah of Nablus. The soldiers were attempting to detain the terrorists, who were suspected of having recently carried out a shooting attack in the Samaria area, but they opened fire and were killed in the exchange.
The eliminated terrorists have been identified as Hamza Muayid Muhammad Makbul (32) and Hiri Muhammad Seri Gamal (34), residents of Nablus. A photo from the scene shows dozens of bullet holes in the door of their hideout.