Brother's hesped for IDF soldier Ron Reutman killed in Judea

Heavy mourning accompanied the levaya today (Sunday) of Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Reutman hy"d, who was brought to rest at the military cemetery in Ashkelon. Ron fell in the severe shooting attack that took place this past Friday near Tzomet Yehuda in the Chevron sector, together with Sergeant Yuval Shai Soilem hy"d. The two stood as a protective wall and prevented with their bodies a large-scale attack the terrorists had planned.

Hundreds of youth and many residents, among them local security patrol teams and municipal inspectors, paid final respects and stood along the road leading to the cemetery, waving Israeli flags in honor and salute. The flags were distributed by the municipality along the path to the cemetery, and those standing created together a moving and quiet chain of human flags.

The day after the severe attack, family members recounted the moments of dread and the bitter news that struck their home. Ron's brother, David Reutman, shared in an interview with Kan News on Reshet Bet the difficult feelings the family experienced when casualty officers entered their home on Friday.

David said that his mother was the first to understand that it was a tragedy and that something terrible had happened to Ron. He described the magnitude of the shock and brokenness that struck the home upon receiving the notification, and defined those moments as a harsh blow that cannot be grasped.

In moving words of farewell, the brother sketched Ron's character and highlighted his outstanding and unique personality. According to him, Ron was an exceptional figure, a sensitive person, an athlete full of motivation and fire in his eyes, alongside sweeping charisma, a combination of seriousness and playful spirit, and one who was always at the center of activity. David spoke of the deep and special bond between them, and emphasized that despite the differences between them, Ron was for him the best friend and the person closest to him in the world, one who completely filled what was missing for him.

Ron's girlfriend, Elle, also joined the words of pain, eulogizing him in tears and expressing the magnitude of the loss and the empty void left in her life. Elle spoke of the special relationship between them, which began as close friendship and became pure love and happy partnership. She described his theatrical and sharp sense of humor, the natural joy he spread around him and his constant concern for her welfare and wellbeing, and expressed bewilderment and deep pain over the new and difficult reality of life without him.

Extended family members spoke of a mature bochur, smiling, wise and sweet, with a developed sense of humor and a figure who radiated light on all his surroundings. The levaya drew many who came to pay final respects to the soldier who fell in battle defending the homeland.

The attack occurred on Friday when two terrorists opened fire toward the military force stationed at the location. According to the situation assessment held by the Chief of Staff, the terrorists left Hebron with large amounts of ammunition in their vehicle with the intention of carrying out a significant attack. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle that was intended for use in executing a broader-scale attack. At the end of a determined firefight that lasted about 20 minutes, the two terrorists were eliminated by the soldiers, while three additional people were wounded in varying degrees of injury.

In parallel, IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police forces launched a large-scale counter-terror operation in Chevron, in which forces are conducting focused and thorough searches of all infrastructure in the area to locate and neutralize terror infrastructure and combat equipment. The operation is focused and confined to the area from which the terrorists operated and is expected to continue for several days.