Sergeant Ronen Lubarsky, a Duvdevan special force fighter who was critically wounded during an operation near Ramallah, when a terrorist threw a heavy marble slab on him, died of his wounds Saturday, the IDF Spokesperson announced. The hunt for the terrorist who threw the slab continues.
The prime minister vowed that “the security branches will reach the terrorist and the State of Israel will bring him to justice.”
The incident took place when a Duvdevan unit arrived at the al-Amri refugee camp on the outskirts of Ramallah to arrest wanted terrorist operatives. During the operation, the fighters approached a building from which the marble slab was thrown and hit Lubarsky from above. He was wearing a steel helmet on his head and the required protection, but the weight of the marble slab caused a mortal injury.
At the same time, dozens of Arabs began rioting at the site and, running after the military vehicles and throwing stones and cinder blocks at them. Despite the riots, the force managed to arrest one of the wanted men.
President Reuven Rivlin issued the following statement Saturday night: “I was deeply saddened to receive the news of the death of IDF Sergeant Ronen Lubarsky. Last night I was able to talk to his parents and brothers about his condition, and to send prayers for his recovery. Today however, we are greatly pained to send our sympathies as we share in this great tragedy.
“At this difficult time, I want to offer strength also to the wonderful fighters and commanders of his unit, the best of our young men, who go out every night on operations which ensure we are able to carry on our day-to-day lives in safety.
“We feel the pain of the family and of the unit and have them in our hearts. May Ronen’s memory be a blessed.”