IDF Names Combat Medic Who Fell In Gaza Fighting

The IDF announced the fall of Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Neulander, 24, a combat medic serving in the 99th Division with the Egoz commando unit.. Elkana, a resident of Efrat, was killed fighting Tuesday in the central Gaza Strip and is survived by his parents and six siblings.

A student at Bar Ilan’s law faculty, Elkana was described by colleagues as one of its leaders. A friend, Orel Yosef, eulogized him as “The beating heart of the faculty, and that is no cliche – always first, always funny, always with a smile and a light in his eyes. Whenever everyone didn’t understand the material, he was the only one who wasn’t embarrassed to say it to the lecturer. It was impossible to miss him because he was everywhere, people heard him studying in the faculty and at the same time helping and elderly person nearby who had called for Magen David Adom [Elkana was an MDA volunteer]. And now our heart is missing.”

Elkana had volunteered at MDA since 2015, following in the footsteps of his father Avri Neulander. During this period he had saved many lives. Moshe Benita, a paramedic at the Jerusalem MDA station, said that “He was a wonderful volunteer, he always wanted to know what was happening in order to contribute and save lives at every opportunity. I always wanted to work with him, he had wonderful middos and behaved with sensitivity and devotion to all those around him. His smile and broad heart will be missed by all.”