The soldier, identified as Rotem Yaish, served as a commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion. Much of his military career, including his mandatory and reserve service, was spent battling Hamas in Gaza. He had recently finished a stint of reserve duty before embarking on a family vacation to Thailand.

The fatal accident occurred on Friday on the island of Koh Samui. Yaish’s body will be repatriated to Israel later this week for burial.

His uncle, Dror Yaish, expressed the family’s grief in a social media post. “For the past year and a half, we feared hearing that he had been killed in Gaza,” Dror wrote. “You left Gaza like a lion. Just last week, you went on a dream vacation with the whole family in Thailand. What pictures you sent; we were so happy to see you enjoying yourselves together.”

He recounted the heartbreaking moment they received the devastating news: “On Friday, an hour before Shabbos, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing. I received the news — Rotem has died. We are in shock and in pain — we can’t digest this news.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)