VOIWORLD
A 20-year-old soldier identified by the Israeli military as being of Indian descent is one of the 15 Israeli troops who have been killed thus far in the conflict with Hamas. The 20-year-old Israeli soldier of Indian descent was one of the combatants who lost their lives while battling in Gaza, the town’s mayor and local residents announced on Wednesday.
Staff Sergeant Halel Solomon was raised in the southern Israeli town of Dimona. Dimona, a town in southern Israel known for its nuclear reactor, is sometimes referred to as “little India” by some because of the township’s high population of Indian Jews. The loss of his life and the lives of other young Israelis “fighting a just war for Israel’s existence” was deeply felt by the Indian community.
Reporters received statements from members of the Indian community describing him as “a young man with pleasant manners and a very bright future ahead.” They conveyed their profound sadness at his death as well as the deaths of other young Israelis who were “fighting a just war for Israel’s existence.”
“It is with great sorrow and grief that we announce the death of a son of Dimona, Halel Solomon, in the battle in Gaza,” said Benny Bitton, the mayor of Dimona, on Facebook on Wednesday.
On October 7, Hamas launched a devastating onslaught on villages in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of at least 1400 Israelis. At least 240 people were also taken prisoner by them during the unexpected incursion. With the support of the US and many other Western countries, Israel launched a war against Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. The two declared objectives of the war were the abolition of the terrorist group and the release of the captives.
