Three months after being critically wounded in a clash in the southern Gaza Strip that erupted shortly after a ceasefire took effect, Sergeant Major Asael Babad (res.) died Thursday of his injuries, the IDF said.
Babad, 38, of the settlement of Geva Binyamin, served in the Menashe Regional Brigade's 941st Infantry Battalion. He was the 924th soldier to be killed in the war, which has claimed 2,012 lives, according to the military.
Babad was wounded on Oct. 19 in Rafah when terrorists fired anti‑tank missiles at IDF troops despite the ceasefire. Major Yaniv Kula, 26, and Second Lieutenant Itay Yavetz, 21, both of Modi'in, were killed in the same incident
According to an initial military investigation at the time, terrorists emerged from a tunnel—apparently trapped inside—and fired a short‑range anti‑tank missile at an engineering vehicle working to locate and destroy tunnels. The blast killed the two soldiers and severely wounded Babad.
Babad grew up in the Golan Heights town of Nov and was attached to the 941st Battalion in the reserves. In the period before his injury, he had been assigned to the Gaza Division. He is survived by his wife, Hagit, and five children: Tamar, Shai, Ayala, Gilad and Noga.
His family said they chose to donate his organs to help save other lives. Babad’s funeral was scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Babad was the 60th fallen soldier from the Benjamin Regional Council. Yisrael Ganz, head of the council and chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements, eulogized him as a courageous fighter who continued to battle for his life for many months after being severely wounded. Ganz said Babad’s dedication exemplified the sense of responsibility and sacrifice of his generation and would strengthen the nation’s resolve to stand united in the face of challenges.