Major Or Yossef Ran, 29 and commander of an elite Duvdevan commando unit from the Givot Olam outpost in the West Bank, was killed on October 7 while defending Kibbutz Kfar Aza against Hamas.
As soon as the Hamas attack began, Or immediately headed south to join his comrades, not far from the front line, with his nephew, Harel, a member of his unit. Along the way, they fought off several groups of terrorists, before arriving in the besieged town of Kfar Aza around 8 a.m.
According to Israel Hayomafter hours spent helping residents and exchanging fire with the terrorists, Or saw his armored vehicle hit by a grenade launcher. When he and his comrades got out, they were cut down by bursts of bullets.
Gold was hit in the head: when his nephew arrived to help the injured, he realized that his uncle was among them. He was at his side when he took his last breath, while waiting to be evacuated by helicopter.
Gold was buried on October 10 in Givot Olam. He leaves behind his parents, Sharona and Avri, and his nine brothers and sisters, Bitya, Mika, Sara, Daniel, Pinhas, Bat Ami, Ben-Hai, Sne and Porat.
He was born and raised in the West Bank outpost of Givot Olam, established by his father not far from the Itamar settlement. He was part of a controversial family known for its settler activism and run-ins with the law, as well as clashes with Palestinians in the northern West Bank.
He was the 8th of 10 siblings and had grown up on the family farm, very immersed in agricultural life: he worked the land and spent most of his time outside, on a tractor or in a tent. He loved spending time in nature, on his motorbike, and hiking the surrounding trails.
In 2012, he joined the Israeli army, in the infantry, before being entrusted with command of a mobile squad [l’Unité 5515] then the Duvdevan mobile unit.
His sister, Mika, told the Makor Rishon newspaper: “Orush was a hero, but that was not what defined him. He loved life and was very funny and joking, without forgetting that he was idealistic and had great values, an absolute sense of mission and deep gratitude. What he was doing was very clear to him, and there was nothing heroic about it. He was a simple man who loved life. »
Mika said that Or “was a braggart. He spent his time tinkering. He got his first toolbox at the age of four… He had three motorcycles and two jeeps, his loves. That and nature. We look at photos of him over and over again, and all of these photos were taken on nature hikes. His whole life was focused on nature. He was a free soul, but very orderly, organized. »
Another of his sisters, Bat Ami, wrote on Facebook to “Orush. Our love. So much pain. So much sadness. So many broken hearts. »
“Turn on the light for us. It’s so dark in here,” she added. “Look what we lost. We will continue to bring light, my love. You’re probably already joking with everyone up there. To make the angels go crazy. To make fun of us women with all our tears. Seriously, this joke is not funny. Come back. »
To read other tributes about the victims of the Hamas massacres of 10/7/2023 and the war that followed, click here.
