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🇮🇱 Israel /Conflict & Security

Flags at fallen soldier's grave vandalized for second time

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Israeli flags placed at the grave of fallen soldier Staff Sgt. Regev Amar were vandalized and torn down in northern Israel.
  • The soldier's mother reported this as the second incident this week, expressing sorrow over the desecration of her son's memorial.
  • The cemetery is located near a popular hiking path, and concerns have been raised about hikers leaving waste and disrespecting the area.

Israeli flags placed at the grave of Staff Sgt. Regev Amar, who fell in battle on October 7, were vandalized and torn down on Tuesday at the Sde Nehemia cemetery in northern Israel. The perpetrators of the incident remain unidentified.

This is the “second time this week that haredim have vandalized an Israeli flag on Regev’s grave, Regev, who fought on October 7 for all the people of Israel, regardless of religion, race, or gender,”

— Gilanit AmarRegev's mother described the repeated vandalism of flags on her son's grave.

Gilanit Amar, Regev's mother, stated on social media that this was the second time in the week that flags on her son's grave had been desecrated. She expressed her pain, apologizing to her son for the incident, and noted that Regev had fought on October 7 for all people of Israel, irrespective of religion, race, or gender.

Regevi, I’m sorry.

— Gilanit AmarRegev's mother expressed her sorrow following the vandalism incident.

Amar's mother described the discovery as "painfully difficult," emphasizing that her son had given his life for the country. Regev was buried in Sde Nehemia, near the Nahal Hermon river, a location chosen to be as close as possible to a place he deeply loved and where he had many meaningful experiences. The cemetery's proximity to a frequently used pedestrian and cycling path means many hikers pass through the area.

'Painfully difficult to discover'

— Gilanit AmarRegev's mother described her reaction to finding the vandalized flags.

Family members and local residents have also reported that hikers leave waste among the bushes near the cemetery and sometimes relieve themselves there due to a lack of nearby restrooms. Despite the Upper Galilee Regional Council having placed trash bins along the stream, the issue persists. Regev Amar, 20, served as a Negev machine gunner and dreamed of becoming an officer and a trauma surgeon. His unit was deployed to the Gaza border on October 7, where they engaged terrorist cells and rescued a young woman. Despite being severely wounded by three bullets in his lower body at Kibbutz Kissufim, he continued to direct the fighting and urged his comrades not to approach him to avoid endangering them. He recited the "Shema Yisrael" prayer with a comrade before a grenade was thrown toward him.

If you come near me, you will die. Stay where you are.

— Staff Sgt. Regev AmarRegev told his comrades not to approach him after he was severely wounded, to avoid endangering them.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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