IDF Reserve Colonel Murdered in Jordan Valley Killed 40 Years to the Day His Brother Died in Yom Kippur War
by Zach Pontz
In a tragic twist, the Israel Defense Forces reserve colonel killed Thursday in the Jordan Valley village of B’rosh Habika lost his life 40 years to the day that his brother was killed in the Yom Kippur war, Yedioth Ahronot reported Friday.
Major Yitzchak Ofer, a pilot, was killed on October 11 1973, when his plane was shot down over the Golan Heights.
Sariya Ofer is believed to have been beaten in the early hours of Friday by at least two Palestinian men wielding iron bars and axes. His wife, Monique, sustained minor injuries. Israeli security forces have arrested five Palestinians suspected of being involved in the incident, Army Radio reported.
Speaking from her hospital bed Friday, Ofer’s wife recalled her husband: “He was a wonderful man, a wonderful father, a wonderful grandfather, there are no words,” she said. “There was no one who didn’t love him, who didn’t connect to him.”