JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE:Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, from Beit Dagan, passed away of injuries sustained in the terrorist incident near Chavat Gilad on Friday, after a local sheikh snatched a weapon from a security guard and opened fire during a hike.

Ezra had already arrived home for a weekend leave, showered, and rested briefly before being urgently called back to his unit.

On Friday, after arriving with a small force to separate the Israeli hikers and Palestinians, he was shot and killed by a terrorist.

At the family’s home in Beit Dagan, his parents, Tanya and Haim, are mourning alongside his older sister Danielle and brother Ariel.

His father, Haim, recalled that Yuval had come home on Thursday.

“He got home, managed to shower and rest for a little while, and then they called him back to the area. It’s always tense there, but we still hoped he’d make it home on Friday so we could spend time together as planned.”

On Friday morning, Tanya began preparing the kuba her son loved, hoping he would still manage to come home despite the circumstances. Later, Yuval informed her that he probably would not make it home. A short time afterward, the family received the devastating news of his death.

Yuval lived in Herzliya with his fiancée, Timor Lavi, whom he had recently proposed to. The couple had already set their wedding date for June 9, 2027.

“He planned to start a family and eventually leave the army,” his relatives said.

Ezra enlisted in the Israel Artillery Corps in 2017 and served in a series of command positions. At the time of his death, he was serving as a battery commander in Battalion 411 of the 282nd Fire Brigade. He was scheduled to assume the position of deputy battalion commander this coming September.

His mother said his greatest passion as a commander was the bond he formed with his soldiers.

“His connection with the soldiers and his ability to influence them, help them, and always be there for them, that was what he loved most. He loved taking young recruits at the beginning of their service and turning them into fighters. Thanks to him, many continued on to become commanders and officers.”

Since his death, the family said they have received hundreds of messages from soldiers who served under him.

“Since Friday, after he was killed, we’ve received hundreds of messages from his soldiers telling us what kind of commander he was and what kind of warrior he was,” Tanya said. “He saw his soldiers as if they were his own children.”

Yuval earned a bachelor’s degree through the IDF’s Tactical Command College and became a company commander two years ago. His family said he especially cherished roles that allowed him to work closely with soldiers and mentor them personally.

On October 7, Ezra fought in the defense of Kibbutz Be’eri. He later took part in combat operations during the ground campaign in Gaza and in other operational sectors.

His mother recalled often telling him, “Yuval, keep your eyes in the back of your head.” He would always reply, “It’ll be okay, Mom. Soldiers are the ones who protect civilians. If someone has to die first, it should be us.”

According to information released so far, a hiking group entered the area near the village of Tel on Friday without prior coordination with the IDF. A confrontation developed with Palestinians, during which one of the Palestinians seized a firearm and opened fire. Maj. Ezra, who was leading the small force sent to separate the sides, was killed in the shooting.

Also killed in the incident was Benayahu Maltt, a member of Havat Gilad’s civilian emergency response team, who had arrived armed after receiving reports of the attack on the hikers.

Yuval’s father said the family is not focused on questions surrounding the incident at this stage.

“We’re not dealing with that right now. It won’t bring Yuval back. Let us bury our heroic son, sit shiva, and give him the honor he deserves. We’ll wait for the army’s final investigation into what happened there, and only then decide whether to address the circumstances of the operation in which he fell.”

His sister Danielle described him as “the purest and best person. There wasn’t a single person he met whom he didn’t leave an impact on.”

Friends accompanying the family said they still struggle to speak about him in the past tense.

“Yuval left a part of himself with everyone he met. He was a man of good deeds who always answered, ‘Everything’s fine, everything’s fine.'”

Maj. Yuval Ezra’s funeral will take place Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the military section of the cemetery in Beit Dagan.