IDF soldier takes own life on base in Golan Heights
An IDF soldier from the Nahal Brigade took his own life on Monday morning on a military base in the Golan Heights, the military confirmed later that evening.
The soldier had fought in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas War.
An investigation has been opened by the military police, and upon conclusion, the findings will be presented to the military prosecution.
The IDF confirmed it would continue to support the soldier's family.
Second IDF soldier to take own life this month
This is the second IDF soldier to have taken his own life this month.
Daniel Edri took his own life a week and a half ago in the Biriya forest near Safed, the town where he grew up.
He had been struggling with severe mental health issues as he tried to cope with the pain, images, and smells that haunted him from his experiences in Lebanon and Gaza.
In addition to the traumatic images, Daniel, who turned 24 last month, was also devastated by the murder of two of his childhood friends at the Supernova music festival – Eliasaf Ben Porat and Gabriel Yishai Barel. He had tried to reach Re'im to help them on October 7 but was unable to save them.
Edri's family says that their deaths stayed with him and caused him ongoing pain.
He was the third of four siblings and lost his father at a young age. His mother, Sigal, is urging the state to honor her son with a military funeral and burial. So far, her request has not been approved.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Israeli DJ cancels Tomorrowland Belgium set over ‘threatening' pressure from pro-Palestinian group: ‘really on our backs'
An Israeli electronic DJ nixed a planned performance at Belgium's Tomorrowland festival Saturday, bowing out after 'intense' pressure from a pro-Palestinian group. 'Due to security considerations and our deep commitment to spreading only love and music, my performance at Tomorrowland scheduled for Today, July 26th has been cancelled,' DJ Skazi wrote on social media just hours before he planned to take the stage. Asher Swissa, who performs as Skazi, flew back to Israel just one day after arriving in Belgium, and blamed a pro-Palestinian group for the decision to pull the plug on his set. 3 Swissa performed for IDF soldiers in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Instagram/skazi_asher 'There was a pro-Palestinian organization that was really on our backs, doing everything to stop it from happening,' he told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Israeli media. 'It was all very intense and threatening.' The pressure came from Belgian pro-Palestinian group 11.11.11. 3 Tomorrowland is expected to draw 400,000 people over two weekends. AP 'His performances are part of a propaganda campaign that condones violence against Palestinians,' the group said on social media, urging festival organizers to nix the set, saying the artist calls himself 'combat DJ.' Swissa had previously performed for IDF soldiers in Gaza after Hamas' terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Tomorrowland's organizers indicated the decision to abort the set wasn't theirs. 3 Tomorrowland is the largest electronic festival in the world. Belga/AFP via Getty Images 'We respect and appreciate Skazi's decision to withdraw at this time,' organizers said in a statement. 'We maintain deep respect for Skazi's musical journey and hope to hear his music on one of our stages again in the future.' Swissa had been a mainstay at the wildly popular music festival — the largest EDM gathering in the world — for the past 14 years. This year's festival, which concludes on Sunday, was expected to draw a crowd of 400,000 over two weekends.

2 hours ago
USAID analysis finds no evidence of widespread aid diversion by Hamas in Gaza
An analysis compiled by USAID officials examining more than 150 reported incidents involving the theft or loss of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza Strip says it failed to find any evidence that Hamas -- the militant rulers of the Palestinian enclave -- engaged in widespread diversion of assistance, according to a presentation reviewed by ABC News. The findings of the report appear to undercut the Trump administration's repeated claims that Hamas has regularly interfered with aid distribution in the past -- assertions it has used to justify its support for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and for measures undertaken by Israel to limit the flow of assistance to neighboring Gaza through other pathways. The GHF -- with Israel's approval and despite rejection from the United Nations -- took over most of the aid distribution system in Gaza on May 27, after an 11-week Israeli blockade on all supplies from entering the strip. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the U.N. -- formerly the main distributor -- and others to fund its militant activity -- claims which Hamas denies. Israel has allowed a limited amount of supplies into Gaza since lifting the blockade and, according to an Israeli security official, is "coordinating future airdrops of aid" by foreign countries "that are expected to take place in the coming days." This comes after a coalition of more than 100 organizations warned this week that "mass starvation" is spreading in Gaza with "supplies now totally depleted." USAID officials behind the presentation say they analyzed alleged incidents of fraud, abuse and waste reported between October 2023, when the ongoing Israel-Hamas war began, and last May. It was compiled before the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) -- once the world's largest single donor of humanitarian aid -- officially ceased independent operations on July 1. The Trump administration canceled more than 80% of the agency's programs, while the remainder were absorbed by the U.S. Department of State. USAID officials say their findings indicate that in the majority of cases involving the loss of aid, the perpetrator could not be definitively identified. The Israel Defense Forces denied the report in a statement to ABC News, saying "not only does the report ignore clear and explicit evidence that Hamas exploits humanitarian aid to sustain its fighting capabilities, it goes so far as to criticize the IDF for routing decisions made specifically to protect humanitarian staff and shipments." The IDF added that when it "directs aid deliveries along specific routes, it is based on the operational reality and intelligence assessments, aimed at safeguarding both the aid and the humanitarian actors — precisely the issue the report claims is not being addressed." The State Department is also pushing back forcefully on the analysis, which was first reported by Reuters, as well as media coverage related to the matter. A State Department spokesperson called it "astonishing" that "the media is busy debating whether the masterminds of Oct. 7 are somehow too principled to loot." "There is endless video evidence of Hamas looting, not to mention members of the aid-industrial complex who have admitted that looting exists by reporting it as 'self-distribution,' in a poor attempt at an aid corruption coverup," the spokesperson said. "Available intelligence confirms what is reflected in open-source information: that a significant portion of non-GHF aid trucks have been diverted, looted, stolen, or 'self-distributed.'" Despite this, the Trump administration -- a staunch ally of Israel -- has provided no evidence of Hamas carrying out widespread aid diversion to date. The IDF said it is "making tremendous efforts to enable the safe distribution of humanitarian aid under complex operational conditions." The ongoing Gaza war erupted after Hamas led a surprise terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people there and taking 251 others hostage, according to figures from the Israeli government. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 59,000 people in Gaza, according to data released by the strip's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.


Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Plainfield landlord convicted of killing 6-year-old Palestinian American boy reportedly dies in custody
The Plainfield man convicted of killing a Palestinian American boy in an October 2023 hate crime has died in the state prison system just weeks after his sentencing, WGN reported Saturday. Joseph Czuba, 73, died Thursday while in Illinois Department of Corrections custody, the Will County Sheriff's Office confirmed to WGN. A jury found Czuba guilty of killing 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi in a fatal stabbing and wounding the boy's mother, Hanaan Shaheen. He was sentenced in May to 53 years in prison. The Will County Sheriff's Office, Illinois Department of Corrections and his attorney, George Lenard, did not immediately confirm Czuba's reported death to the Tribune. Authorities charged the attacks as hate crimes. Czuba, who was renting part of his house to Alfayoumi and Shaheen, stabbed them after he became 'heavily interested' in the Israel-Gaza war after the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, prosecutors said. Shaheen testified during trial that Czuba grew angry with her because she was Muslim and from Jerusalem, telling her, 'Muslims are not welcome here.' Czuba stabbed Alfayoumi 26 times, and Shaheen also sustained dozens of wounds as he tried to kill her. He was sentenced to 53 years in prison. Lenard said to his understanding, Czuba was held at Menard Correctional Center in downstate Illinois. Plainfield community members unveiled a monument dedicated to Alfayoumi in June.