(Washington Post) Steve Hendrix - Amichai Oster, 24, was in the U.S. when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7. Within days, he was on a plane, among thousands of Americans and American Israelis who rushed to join the fight in Gaza. Oster was killed when an explosion hit his combat unit in northern Gaza on Jan. 1, 2024, one of at least 23 American citizens to be killed in recent months while serving in the Israeli military or police, according to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Naftali Yonah Gordon, 32, was born in Queens. He had been working as a physiotherapist and raising two daughters in Jerusalem when he rejoined his former armored unit after Oct 7. His tank was hit by a missile on Dec. 7. Gordon's wife, Pesi Gordon, whose own mother grew up in New York, said, "he was very, very connected to Israel. He gave his life for it." Pesi's sister, Malki Roth, was 15 when she was killed in the bombing of a Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001. 21 Americans in IDF units have been killed inside Gaza. Another died along Israel's northern border with Lebanon in an exchange of fire with Hizbullah. A 23rd U.S. citizen was killed in Jerusalem while serving in Israel's border police. At least 32 Americans were killed during the initial Hamas rampage on Oct. 7. At least 11 others were among those taken hostage. The State Department said six U.S. citizens are still held in Gaza.
2024-02-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive