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)