IDF Duvdevan Unit Soldier Falls In Friday Firefight With Terrorist Near Talmon

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Sergeant First Class Ilay David Garfinkel was murdered by a sniper in a Friday terror attack, the IDF announced Saturday night.

Garfinkel, a resident of the village of Sitria, near Rehovot, fought in the IDF’s  Duvdevan commando Unit and fell during operational activity in the Binyamin region.

The terrorist, armed with a 7.62 caliber sniper’s rifle, took up a position with topographical superiority near the Dolev-Talmon road and used the undergrowth to move to different positions and fire at arriving IDF forces from behind boulders and rocks.

Garfinkel was killed during the five-hour battle to eliminate the terrorist. Another officer and soldier were severely injured, and five other soldiers suffered light and moderate injuries. The terrorist was eventually eliminated by an attack helicopter.

תחקיר ראשוני של הפיגוע הקשה הבוקר ליד רמאללה:
1. המחבל הגיע בלילה לשלוחה הררית וסבוכה עם נשק צלפים בקליבר 7.62, הקים עמדות ירי מאחורי בולדרים וסלעים ושלט באש ובתצפית על הכביש והצומת שמתחתיו, סמוך לדולב
2. ב-5:15 פתח דורגלים וירה לראשונה על אוטובוס שלא נפגע וברח
3. כוחות מגדוד רם… pic.twitter.com/zZLJECIDw0

— יואב זיתון (@yoavzitun) March 22, 2024

The 21-year-old Garfinkel is survived by his parents and seven siblings. He was posthumously promoted from Staff Sergeant to Sergeant First Class.

“The IDF shares in the sorrow of the family, and will continue supporting them,” the IDF said in a statement.

On Saturday evening, Beilinson Hospital reported that the condition of three of the victims of the Binyamin terror attack is stable, and there is no threat to their lives. One of the victims is in moderate condition, and two others’ injuries were light.

The terrorist responsible for the attack, 32-year-old Mujahad Barkaat Mansour, served in the Palestinian Authority (PA) national guard and resigned in 2013. He served a prison sentence in Israel, and is identified with Fatah, the political party of PA chief Mansour Abbas and a group which has officially renounced terrorism but which has a “military” arm which engages in it.

On Saturday night, the IDF mapped his home in Dayr Ibzi near Ramallah, in preparation for its demolition.