Israel’s Military Releases Name of Special Ops Officer Killed in Gaza in 2018

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday released the name of the military officer killed in a friendly fire incident during a mission that went awry in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip in 2018. The special forces officer who has until now been called “Mem” was identified as Lt. Col. Mahmoud Kheir el-Din, 41, a member of Israel’s Druze community from the village of Hurfeish. He was the father of two young sons and worked as a mentor for youth in the Druze community. During the operation on November 11, 2018, Hamas operatives became suspicious of Kheir el-Din and his undercover soldiers. Kheir el-Din physically attacked one of the operatives, giving another soldier time to take out a gun and shoot the Hamas operatives, but also hit and killed Kheir el-Din, who was in the line of fire.  Head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said that Kheir el-Din’s actions during the operation allowed the rest of his group to escape unharmed. “As a representative of the government, I eulogized him at his funeral. Two weeks ago, I met his widow, the wonderful Nahed and his two beautiful boys,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday. “I am pleased that the people of Israel, this morning, received the privilege of openly knowing his name and his image as a hero of Israel, Lt.-Col. Mahmoud Kheir el-Din. The covenant of blood, and mainly the covenant of life, with our Druze brothers is stronger than ever. May his memory be for a blessing.”