Reserve Sergeant Idan Keinan, 21, was killed by a Hamas sniper on Saturday on the outskirts of Jabalia, near Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip. This fighter from the Kfir brigade, originally from Ramat Gan, was the 796th Israeli soldier to lose his life since the start of the conflict. In a poignant message addressed to his grandmother a few months before his death, the young man had testified to his determination: “I know exactly what I am doing and where I am. I know the risks and what can happen, and I accept it fully.” He added: “This is the path I have chosen and the one I believe every man in our country should choose.”
On October 7, during the Hamas attack, Keinan posted on Instagram: “No one here will sleep until you feel safe. I promise you. Residents of the center and south, take care of yourselves . We don’t have any other country.”
His mother, Adi Keinan, announced his death on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the murder of my son by a terrorist in northern Gaza.” His sister Linoy paid tribute to “the man with the biggest heart in the world”, adding: “I can’t believe you left me like that. My hero brother, how could they take you like this ?”
In his last letter to his grandmother, the young soldier wrote with conviction: “If the Heavenly Father has decided that someone must die for our people, it is the greatest honor in the world. Please know that I will always love more than anything and that we will never be separated.
Belgium
