Itay Yehuda

Itay was born in 2002 in Petah Tikva, the son of Rinat and Ofer, and brother to Omer, Adi, Idan, and Amit.
At the age of five, he moved with his family to Rishon LeZion, settling in the Neve Hof neighborhood.

He studied at Albert Einstein High School, majoring in art, and was a talented painter whose dream was to become a tattoo artist after his military service.
Following in the footsteps of his brother Omer, Itay aspired to be a combat soldier and served in the Givati Brigade, in the Tzabar Battalion.

Those close to him describe Itay as someone who loved life — who found joy in every moment. He loved drawing, spending time with friends, laughing, smiling, and training at the gym.
At the outbreak of the “Iron Swords” War, when entering Gaza, Itay saw it as the mission of his life — to defend his homeland. He told his mother that this was exactly what he had trained for throughout his service, and he viewed it as his calling and duty, without hesitation.

On Friday, October 27, 2023, Itay and his comrades entered Gaza for a ground operation in the northern sector, courageously completing every mission.
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at 9:04 a.m., an anti-tank missile struck the Namer armored vehicle carrying Itay and eleven of his fellow soldiers. Only one survived. Itay and ten of his friends were killed instantly.

In his uniform, a farewell letter was found — a note of gratitude to his parents, in which he wrote that he had no regrets about enlisting in a combat unit and that it was the best decision of his life.

Itay, our shining light, always with a smile.
The sentence that guided him in life was: “Follow your heart, even when you can’t see where it leads…”

A magical soul. A hero of Israel.
Itay fell in battle two and a half weeks before his 21st birthday.
May his memory be blessed.