Capt. Omer Rabinovitch, 23, of Arad, was killed in the close-quarter firefights in Zeitoun.

Sgt. Amit Robinson, 21, a tank crewman from Kibbutz Magal, south of Baka al-Gharbiya, was killed by a sniper, also in northern Gaza. His parents made aliya from Argentina.

IDF Major Ro'i Rozner met his death in a battle with Hamas terrorists on the ruins of the former Jewish community of Netzarim. Major Ro'i Rozner, 27, an officer with the Kfir infantry brigade. Rozner, was from Holon.

Staff Sergeant Alexander Mashvitzky, 21, of Beersheba. The incident took place shortly after 10 am.

"He was a man of stature, a real friend. He loved the country. I remember his laughter and still can't believe he's been killed. This is a great loss to this country and to us. We miss him and we're slightly in shock," said Diana Karkoz, Staff Sergeant Mashvitzky's friend.

"He viewed everything with humor," said another friend. "He was extremely motivated about the army and was not afraid."

The Mashvitzky family immigrated to Israel from the USSR IN 1991. Alexander's mother, Ludmila, is a high school teacher, and his father is a professor at Ben-Gurion University. The soldier was also survived by his two siblings – a 22-year-old brother and a 10-year-old sister.

Golani Brigade physician Major Dr. Dagan Wurtman, 32, from the Samaria town of Maale Michmas.

Deputy Company Commander Captain Yonatan Netanel, 27, from Kedumim. Netanel studied in the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva High School, where eight students were murdered in an Arab terrorist attack in March. He continued his studies in the pre-military yeshiva academy in Eli for three years. He enlisted in the Israeli paratroopers, got married to Tziyona, and the couple had their first baby girl three months ago. Netanel's parents and family live in Jerusalem.

 

Corporal Yousuf Muadi, 19, of Haifa, was a member of the Golani's Battalion 13.

Staff Sgt. Nitay Stern, 21, of Jerusalem.

The Israel Defense Forces extends its gratitude and condolences to the family of SSgt. Dvir Emmanueloff, 22, of the Golani infantry brigade. Originially from Givat Ze’ev near Jerusalem, SSgt. Emmanueloff was killed in action by a mortar bomb fired by Hamas terror operatives.

IDF Warrant Officer Lutfi Nasereldeen, 38, who was killed on Tuesday, 30 December 2008, by a rocket launched from Gaza. Nasereldeen, an Israeli Druze from Daliat al-Carmel, was a career army officer. He is survived by his wife and four-year-old daughter.

For Martyrs of the Israel Defense Force - Translation

May the L-rd remember the souls
of the fighters of the Israel Defense Force
who gave their lives
for the sanctification of the Name, the People, and the Land;
who died a heroic death
in missions of liberation, defense and security.

They were quicker than eagles and stronger than lions
as they volunteered to assist the people
and with their pure blood soaked
the clods of our holy earth.

The memory of their self-sacrifice
and heroic deeds
will never perish from us.

May their souls be bound in the Bond of Life
together with the souls of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and with the souls of
the other Jewish heroes and martyrs who are in the Garden of Eden.

Now let us respond: Amen.