The IDF has permitted the publication that Sergeant Major Itai Fogel, 22, a tank commander in the 46th Battalion, Iron Trails Division (401), fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip.
Itai left behind parents: Yoav and Yael, and 4 siblings. He was the eldest among his siblings. Studied at Yeshivat Nachalim, was a youth leader in the settlement of Yakir, a counselor in Bnei Akiva, volunteered with the "Lashit Yad" organization, and served in the Armored Corps. Itai grew up in the settlement of Yakir in Samaria, his family being one of the oldest families in the settlement.
Ittai's cousin, Elkanah Navon, also fell just a few weeks ago during an operational activity in Jenin. This is the second loss suffered by the settlement of Yakir, Captain Gabriel Shani, who grew up in the settlement and married a daughter of the settlement, fell on January 30, the 20th of Shevat, in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip.
Chairman of the settlement Elhanan Sabati: "On the eve of Yom Kippur, our settlement is mourning its second loss today in the struggle for the existence of the State of Israel. We are in pain and in shock, and we will continue to embrace the family."
Rabbi Aharon Cohen, Rabbi of the settlement of Yakir: "The lion of the group, a young man full of love for Israel, full of Torah, full of bravery, all his aspirations in life were to do good for the people of Israel and the Torah of Israel."
The head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, eulogized him: "The entire Samaria family mourns the passing of Itai, one of the finest sons of the land, on the eve of Yom Kippur, such a great loss, the heart refuses to believe. Itai was a principled man, a pride of the youth of Samaria, a volunteer, dedicated, caring, who gave of himself. The residents of Samaria, the council workers, embrace the family and the community of Yaqir, which has suffered a second loss in this difficult war. We will stand by them in whatever they need."
