Elam Amal Elam al-Din Fares, 32, from the Druze village of Horfeish in northern Israel, died Sunday after falling from a great height while hiking near the Matterhorn, in the Pennine Alps along the border between Switzerland and Italy, according to Israeli media reports.
The fatal fall occurred near the Solvay hut, a well-known refuge point on the Matterhorn route. Foreign reports said Fares and another hiker fell from height during the climb, and that a third hiker in the area alerted rescue services, who confirmed the deaths at the scene. The cause of the fall has not yet been determined.
Horfeish's local council released a mourning notice confirming the death of "a beloved son of the village," writing that he was a dear young man whose whole life was still ahead of him, taken in an instant, leaving behind a grieving family, stunned friends, and an entire village in mourning.
Fares' mother has become known in the community as "the mother of the soldiers," after she began cooking meals for soldiers stationed at the northern border following October 7. The Facebook page Druze Tweeting published a tribute calling his death a devastating loss and offering condolences to the Fares family and the people of Horfeish, expressing hope that God would grant the family strength, patience, and comfort during this difficult time.
