Yom Rishon
Sunday
15 Sivan 5783
June 4 2023
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
These three soldiers were killed on the Egyptian border yesterday–by an Egyptian policeman:
Left to right: Ori Iluz (20), Lia Ben-Nun (19), Ohad Dahan (20).
This was the apparent sequence of events:
1. Soldiers Ori Iluz and Lia Ben-Nun went on duty at around 4 pm at an isolated outpost (actually a tent) near Mt. Harif. It is beside a “logistical” gate on a road that leads from Egypt into Israel.
The scene of the attack.
2. At 2:30 am, IDF forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1.5 million shekels of drugs at Mt. Harif on the Israel-Egypt border.
3. At 4:15 am, communications were lost with Iluz/Ben-Nun. Apparently this was the time that the two were killed by an Egyptian policeman who had simply walked through the gate.
4. At 9:00 am, an IDF platoon commander sent someone to check on Iluz/Ben-Nun, and they were discovered dead.
5. Shortly thereafter, the IDF mounted a manhunt for the terrorist. A drone spotted him 2 km away from the border. Combat helicopters that were supposed to accompany ground forces had been grounded because of a propeller problem in one helicopter.
6. In an ensuing firefight with the terrorist, Ohad Dahan was killed as was the terrorist.
All of this leads to more more questions than answers:
How is it possible that Ori Iluz and Lia Ben-Nun were stationed at an isolated outpost with no real way of communicating with their fellow soldiers?
How is it possible–with all of Israel’s technological ability–that the Egyptian policeman/terrorist just waltzed into the outpost?
How is it possible that no one bothered to check on Iluz and Ben-Nun until some 5 hours after communication was lost?
How is it possible that the IDF knew exactly where the terrorist was yet sent an armed force to make contact–instead of just hitting him with a missile? Where was the IAF?
Other points:
Even at this point, information is sketchy with some reports saying that Iluz and Ben-Nun were stabbed before they were shot.
The terrorist was heavily armed with an assault rifle and numerous ammo clips. He also carried a Koran. By the way, it should be noted that many Egyptian border policemen are “former” criminals who received reduced sentences in return for “patrolling” the border.
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In sum, the entire incident from beginning to end was a disastrous IDF failure. Coupled with the Hezbollah infiltration several months ago, it shows that we have no control whatsoever over our borders.
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A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.