Relatives of the dead IDF soldier: “He was an exemplary family man”

Family, friends and neighbors arrived at the home of First Sergeant Shlomi Cohen in order to comfort his wife Ma’ayan, who was left alone with their seven-month-old daughter. Ma’ayan’s uncle: “She is broken and refuses to believe he is gone.”

Dec 16, 2013, 02:32PM | Rachel Avraham

The family is stunned and grieving Photo Credit: Facebook

The family of First Sergeant Shlomi Cohen, who was killed yesterday in a shooting attack along the Lebanese border, is having difficulty accepting the horrible news.  Cohen, age 31 from Afula, left behind a wife and a seven-month-old baby who will never remember her father.  “He was a very special family man, father, and exemplary husband,” one of his relatives stated.  “The birth of Shachar was a wonderful transition for the couple.”
 In the morning hours, his relatives, friends and neighbors began to visit in attempt to comfort his wife Ma’ayan. “It’s hard to speak about him in the past tense.  Ma’ayan refuses to accept this horrible fate.  She is broken by the bad news,” her uncle Itzik Biton stated at the door. 
 According to the uncle, the couple only recently moved to live in their new apartment in Afula.  “They were planning on buying a permanent home they would build in Acre,” he stated in pain.  “The closest to Acre he will get is the cemetery in Haifa.”
 Last Shabbat, the couple posted a facebook status that stated, “Finally alone,” the uncle continued.  “They very much wanted to pave the way for their special family.  When I heard about the shooting incident on the Lebanese-Israeli border, I didn’t realize that it was Shlomi.”

Shlomi Cohen left behind a wife and seven-month-old daughter Photo Credit: Channel 2

Shlomi Cohen was in critical condition before he died
 At around 9:00pm yesterday, a critical injury was reported in an overturned IDF vehicle in the area of Rosh ha-Nikra.  When IDF forces and medical teams arrived at the vehicle, it became clear that fire was shot at it as they were driving past the Lebanese border.  First Sergeant Shlomi Cohen was the one critically injured in the vehicle and was rushed to the West Galilee Hospital in Nahariyya, where he died.
 The announcement of the death of First Sergeant Shlomi Cohen, a man who served as a technical non-commissioned officer in the navy, was delivered to his family.  The funeral will be held this evening at 5:00pm in the Military Cemetery in Haifa.
 “A security man came to us in critical condition,” Dr. Massad Barhoum, director of the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariyya, stated.  “We continued resuscitation work for several long minutes, but despite our resuscitation efforts, in the end, we had to declare his death.” 
 Cohen was injured in the upper part of his body, in the neck and chest.  He came to the hospital where medical teams treated him and implemented CPR.  No other injuries were reported in the incident.
 With the report of the incident, a large amount of security forces flocked to the scene.  They feared terrorist infiltration in the area and local residents were called upon to leave their homes.  However, shortly afterwards, the fear subsided and the local residents returned to their routine, but tensions in the area remain high.

Evacuated yesterday to the hospital Photo Credit: Channel 2

Ya’alon: “We will not tolerate a violation of our sovereignty”
 “A serious message was transferred to the UN,” the IDF Spokespersons Office stated in response to the incident.  “The IDF continues to investigate the incident, remains ready for each action that is required and refuses to tolerate Israeli citizens being harmed.  The IDF reserves the right to respond at the right time and place.”
 The initial investigation indicates that the shooting was apparently implemented by a Lebanese Army soldier on the other side of the border as the vehicle was traveling between two army bases near the security fence.
 UNIFIL forces responsible for peace-keeping along the Lebanese border announced that they were updated about the incident.  “We are trying to examine what led to the incident,” a UNIFIL spokesperson stated.  “We spoke with the two sides, the Israelis and the Lebanese, and we call for mutual restraint.”
 Following the incident, a meeting is expected to occur today between liaisons of the IDF, the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL officials to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to convey the message that an Israeli has been attacked from the Lebanese side of the border.  “This is a serious incident,” Israeli Defense Minister Bogie Ya’alon stated.  “We will demand explanations from the Lebanese army.”  
 The Israeli Defense Minister expressed his condolences to the family of the soldier, while stressing that Israel believes that the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Army is responsible for the incident.  “We will demand first of all an explanation for what exactly happened and if it was really a rebellious soldier, what they did to him and what the Lebanese Army is prepared to do in order to prevent these kinds of incidents,” Ya’alon stated.  “We will not tolerate a violation of our sovereignty and certainly not from the Lebanese border.”