Soldier killed along southern border is laid to rest

IDF Corporal Netanel Yahalomi of Nof Ayalon was killed by terrorists infiltrating from Egypt over the weekend.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF soldier Netanel Yahalomi is laid to rest in Modi'in 370 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
IDF soldier Netanel Yahalomi is laid to rest in Modi'in 370
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Hundreds of mourners arrived in Modi'in early Sunday morning to participate in the funeral of IDF Corporal Netanel Yahalomi, who was killed along the Egyptian border on Friday.
The 20-year-old Artillery Corps soldier was shot in the head by terrorists as he and his unit were reportedly giving water to African migrants who had arrived on the border Friday afternoon. A second solider was wounded in the attack.
Yahalomi and the lightly injured soldier were airlifted to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where doctors battled to save Yahalomi’s life.
Yahalomi succumbed to his injuries soon after arrival. The IDF promoted him posthumously to the rank of corporal.
The attack occurred along a 17-km. stretch of the border where the fence has not yet been completed, in the Har Harif area.
Yahalomi’s father, Shmuel, told Ma’ariv that despite his low medical profile, his son insisted on serving in the Artillery Corps, thereby following in Shmuel’s footsteps. Shmuel added that this son viewed service in the army as an all-important mission.