Master Sgt. (res.) Uriel Molto Getahon, 24, from Karmiel, died by suicide Thursday while not on active duty. “The heart aches for his family. For the void that opened in an instant and for the lives that from that moment will never be the same,” wrote the brother of his friend, Staff Sgt. Avraham Ovgan, a soldier in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion who fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip in February 2024.
“Uriel is a painful reminder that not every wound is visible from the outside. Our soldiers can return home physically healthy, but carry deep wounds inside them that no one sees.”
Master Sgt. (res.) Uriel Molto Getahon, 24, from Karmiel
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"After so much loss this group has already experienced, another friend is gone," Ovgan also wrote. "Another pain added to everything they already carry with them. Uriel, our hearts ache for you. For the life that could have been, for everything still ahead of you and for everyone who loved you.”
He concluded: “May we no longer have to lose anyone else. May everyone who returns from war also manage to return to themselves. May his memory be a blessing.”
Karmiel Mayor Moshe Koninsky also remembered Getahon. “I want to dedicate this weekend to our reservists. The first to arrive, the first to fight and, far too often, the last to receive the help they so desperately need,” he wrote in a post published Friday. “Since October 7, we have discovered a wonderful generation of young people. Hundreds of thousands of men and women in the reserves left their homes, families, children and jobs in an instant and reported to defend the homeland.
“Hundreds returned in coffins, thousands were wounded in body, others were wounded in soul — but that wound is hard to detect, and sometimes it is discovered too late,” he added. “These fighters carry with them sights, loss, fear and pain, things that are not always visible from the outside. One of our reservists, Uriel Molto Getahon, a member of Karmiel’s Ethiopian community, has died. Uriel could no longer bear the pain and loss.”
Koninsky said that“the State of Israel, the Defense Ministry and the IDF are doing things for the reservists, but it is still not enough. We need to be there on the day after as well, with available mental health care, support for families, help returning to routine and, above all, the ability to see even those who cannot manage to ask for help. We are a nation of superheroes, but those who reported first to protect us need to know that we will be there for them after their reserve service ends. Karmiel embraces the family and shares in its great sorrow. We will be there for them forever.”
The IDF spokesperson said that, in accordance with the framework set by the committee headed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz, in cooperation with the Defense Ministry, the IDF conducted an initial review of the circumstances of the case. “After the review, it was found that the circumstances of his death may be connected to his military service,” the IDF said. “Accordingly, the IDF contacted the family to provide dedicated assistance, as agreed in the conclusions of the Almoz Committee.”
As part of the dedicated response, a military delegation attended Uriel’s funeral. The family also was informed that, should it wish, it will be accompanied by an IDF representative for guidance and assistance in applying to the Defense Ministry to have Uriel recognized as having “died as a result of service.” The IDF noted that if the authorized officials in the Defense Ministry determine that there is a causal connection between his death and his military service, the family will be entitled to all financial and social support provided by the Defense Ministry in such cases. “The IDF honors the meaningful service of the late Uriel and shares in the family’s grief,” it added.