Bereaved brother of Captain Ido Voloch reads a message his brother wrote during his officers’ training course, where he also mentions his friends who fell during the Swords of Iron war.
Captain Ido Voloch, 21, from Jerusalem, was killed on Friday in a clash with terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, becoming the 850th IDF casualty since the start of the Swords of Iron war.
Voloch’s brother Uri spoke on Sunday morning with Channel 2 about his brother, who served in the tanks corps and followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming an officer and platoon commander – giving everything he could until the very last moment.
“At first it was difficult for him to enlist in tanks corps when all his friends wanted to go to infantry. But it was in his blood. He followed in his father’s footsteps, and no one understood why,” said his brother Uri. “He enjoyed the service, working with tanks and the good people in the army. In his first role, he was a tank gunner and served in Gaza.”
Ido was promoted only last week. “They held a military ceremony without families in the Gaza area, and we got a video of him receiving his new rank. “As we understand, within two days he was promoted again,” Uri shared painfully, and asked to read a text that Uri wrote about six months ago, when he was in the officers’ course, where he also mentioned his friends who fell during the Swords of Iron War.
“Thank you for the privilege given to me to command a tank division, now when it is needed more than ever. I dedicate this appointment in memory of Ido Testa, Ittai Fogel, Ofir Berkovich and Barak Sagan, may their memory be blessed – my dear friends who are no longer here, and to all the other heroes who are no longer here and who gave their lives so that we could live here. I am proud to take part in mission of securing the safety of this country, to ensure its continued existence.”
Even during the difficult times of the war, Ido did not give up his enjoyable habits. “Food was an inseparable part of his life, his day revolved around food,” said Uri. “In the army, he would cook for his friends in Gaza, and when possible, he would take photographs and send them to us.”
Ido was also a die-hard Hapoel Jerusalem fan. “One of my childhood memories is of Ido and me sitting on my father’s lap in the stadium watching Hapoel’s basketball game. It was an integral part of his life, he played both basketball and football for Hapoel. He was a real athlete.”
Ido was killed on Friday in a clash with terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip. Terrorists who launched an RPG at a tank in the 46th Battalion, where Ido served as a platoon commander, managed to hit the tank. As a result, Ido was killed and another soldier was moderately wounded. About an hour earlier, Sergeant Neta Yitzhak Kahana, 19, from Moshav Eitan, was killed during an undercover operation in Shejaiya.
