Last week (Friday), the IDF announced the death of 2 reservist soldiers, Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Omer Smadga and Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Saadia Yaakov Dery, who were killed by mortar fire in the central Gaza Strip.
In a poignant twist of fate, Omer Smadja's father Oren celebrated his birthday just a day before the tragic news. On his Facebook page, he posted a message of gratitude that now holds a somber resonance: "Thank you to everyone who wished me well, may everyone return home safely, Am Yisrael Chai." Oren is Israel's Olympic medalist in judo from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the current coach of the Israeli judo team.
Despite his grief, Oren Smadja issued a powerful message of resilience to soldiers currently battling Hamas in Gaza, "Keep your heads up, don't stop until we win. This is my message to everyone involved in this fight," he said.
