The IDF senior manpower division officer, General Toplonsky visited the family of fallen IDF soldier Oron Shaul yesterday. On board the fateful Golani APC which ran over an anti-tank mine this past summer in Gaza during the IDF Protective Edge operation, Oron’s body was not recovered.
From Wikipedia: “The claim that an Israeli soldier had been captured, “touched off celebrations among Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, according to The Independent, which ran photos of Palestinians cheering in the streets of Ramallah. According to the New York Times, “Celebrations immediately broke out in Gaza and the West Bank.”
“Hamas television celebrated the purported kidnapping with a victory mocking the grief of Shaul’s family and celebrating the alleged hostage-taking in song: “We’ve taken a second Shalit, a young, blond-haired boy.”
Channel 1 and Maariv reported that the IDF wanted to curtail a public protest from the family that their son’s body has not been returned (which would raise the price that Hamas is demanding for the body)…so the IDF yesterday presented Oron’s helmet and combat vest to the family which were used by the IDF Chief Rabbi to determine that Oron was in fact killed and not taken hostage alive, as Hamas claimed.
May the family of Oron Shaul know no more pain, and may the fallen IDF soldier’s memory be a blessing.