IDF soldier dies of wounds two days after raid
Ronen Lubarsky was hit by marble slab thrown from rooftop
A soldier from the Duvdevan commando unit has died from wounds suffered on Thursday during an arrest operation near Ramallah, the army said on Saturday.
Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, 20, from Rehovot, was hit on the head by a large slab of marble during an operation in the Ama’ari refugee camp aimed at arresting a terrorist cell involved in recent shooting attacks.
Lubarsky, who was part of the operation’s covering force, received emergency medical attention in the field and was transferred to intensive care at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem.
He was wearing full protective gear and standing close to one of the homes in Ama’ari when his helmet was “destroyed” by the slab, which was thrown from a third-story rooftop, an IDF officer said.
One suspect was arrested during Thursday’s operation and another two were arrested that evening. All suspects were taken for questioning by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
The request of the family, Lubarsky’s funeral was held at 2 a.m. on Sunday, at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.
He was posthumously promoted to the rank of staff-sergeant.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman took to his Twitter account on Saturday, sending condolences to the family and promising that the terrorist will be arrested.
“Duvdevan, one of our elite units, is carrying out multiple arrests every night in an endless war, which receives no fame or public attention,” Liberman wrote. “I wish to send condolences in the name of Israel to the family and will closely follow efforts to stop the terrorist. We will bring justice to Ronen.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a similar statement, expressing “deep sadness” and vowing that the perpetrators will be caught.
Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon sent his condolences to Lubarsky’s family and friends, tweeting that “along with all of Israel, I bow and salute the warrior St.-Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, who was seriously wounded in an operational mission against terrorism, so that we could all continue to live. I send my condolences and a fierce embrace to his family and to his comrades in the unit. May his memory be for a blessing!”
The IDF carries out near-nightly raids across the West Bank, detaining Palestinian suspects wanted for terrorist attacks, weapons possession and other security offenses.
According to a report released in March by Palestinian prisoners rights groups, the IDF arrested 1,319 Palestinians during the months of January and February.
The army said it had opened an investigation into Thursday’s incident and that the killer had not been arrested or shot because he had not been identified by troops.