Rosh Ha’Ayin resident first Israeli soldier killed in anti-terrorism campaign in Samaria

Liam Hazi. Credit: Courtesy of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

An Israeli soldier from Rosh Ha’Ayin was killed in combat and four others were wounded on Jan. 30 during a firefight with terrorists in Jenin in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said. Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, 20, of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit became the first casualty of Operation Iron Wall, Israel’s operation against terrorist networks in Judea and Samaria, which began on Jan. 21.

Of the four wounded, one was severely hurt, and the three others sustained light wounds, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Hazi’s unit was conducting house searches when it encountered a group of armed terrorists who opened fire on the troops at close range, the report said. The terrorists escaped.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesperson, said in a statement: “We mourn with the family and accompany them in these difficult hours. We continue to act resolutely against terrorism everywhere, including in Judea and Samaria. Tonight, too, we remember those who fell in the battles on Oct. 7, 2023, and the heavy price paid by IDF regular and reserve fighters throughout the war.”

A public notice from the city stated that his funeral would be at 1 p.m. on Jan. 31 in the military unit of the city cemetery. “In coordination with the family, the residents of the city are invited to pay Sergeant Liam their last respect with Israel flags today at 12:00 along Zionot Boulevard,” the city announced.

Prior to Hazi’s death, at least seven soldiers from Rosh Ha’Ayin have been killed since Oct. 7.

Rosh Ha’ayin is the sister city of Birmingham, and Partnership2Gether community for Birmingham and New Orleans.

Earlier on Jan. 30, the IDF said the Israeli Air Force had carried out a strike against terrorists in Samaria on Jan. 29, killing 10 of them. Another terrorist, Col. Kassem Aklik, a senior officer in the Palestinian Authority security forces and a member of the Fatah movement of P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas, was killed by ground troops on Jan. 30, the army added.

The strike is a “direct continuation of the intensive counter-terrorism activity of the Shin Bet and the IDF against terrorist infrastructures in the northern Samaria region,” read a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Aklik was killed in Nablus, the army said. He had planned several attacks against Israelis and had tried to escape when officers from the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit approached a building where he was staying, the statement said.

Aklik was carrying a pistol, according to the statement. The officers shot and killed him.

From JNS and SJL reports