Israel continues to bury its dead as cease-fire begins

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
As a tense and fragile cease-fire began, Israel continued to bury its dead Monday, amid widespread concern that another Iranian-backed war was just around the corner. The cease-fire eve fatalities brought to at least 157 the number of Israelis killed in the month-long conflict, 118 soldiers and 39 civilians. Nine soldiers were killed Sunday in the final day of fighting before the cease-fire took effect, the army said. Two IDF reservists were killed and four were seriously injured when Hizbullah fired an anti-tank rocket and mortar shells at troops near the Lebanese village of Kanatra. The fatalities were identified as Warr. Ofc. Amitai Yaron, 44, from Zichron Ya'acov and Sgt.-Maj. Peter Ohatosky, 24, from Lod. In a separate incident, four soldiers were killed and 14 were hurt, two of them seriously, when an anti-tank rocket hit reserve troops near Abu Twil, north of Ayta a-Sha'ab. Three of the soldiers were identified as Capt. (res.) Eliel Ben-Yehuda, 24, from Kfar Tavor, Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Guy Hasson, 24, from Na'ama and Lt. (res.) Zur Zarhi, 26, from Nahalal. Ben-Yehuda, who served in an elite combat unit, was named after his uncle, who was killed in battle in Lebanon 24 years ago. Three other soldiers killed Sunday were identified as Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Yaniv Shinebrom, 24, of Mei-Ami, St.-Sgt. Yevgeny Timofeyev, 20, of Rishon Lezion and St.-Sgt. David Amar, 24, of Kiryat Shmona. The name of the last soldier was not released by press time. Nearly three dozen soldiers were killed during the last three days of the war, when Israel launched its massive ground offensive in a last-ditch cease-fire eve attempt to batter Hizbullah before the guns fell silent.