Basson, Gal
Gal, the second son of Pnina and Eliyahu Basson, was born in 1993 in Holon. Gal was a family man and greatly appreciated everything his parents did for him, and a warm relationship developed between him and his older brother, son of, who loved and protected him. During his high school years, Gal participated in a delegation of young Israelis and Palestinians to Germany, in order to promote dialogue and coexistence between the two nations. On March 10, 2013, Gal enlisted in the IDF and planned to serve in the Shayetet 13, but at the end of the reconnaissance process, he volunteered for the elite unit, Yahalam (Special Tasks Engineering Unit), and was proud to belong to it. During his service he underwent a long and difficult series of training in the Samur Company, which is responsible for handling the tunnels. He ripped a ligament in the shoulder and was injured in the ankle, each injury was serious enough to bring him down, and Gal was frustrated and struggled to finish the course despite the doctors’ instructions. He fought with the unit commanders, assuring him that he was in good shape, that he was not in pain and that he would finish the course. He was a devoted and loyal friend of the soldiers in his unit and used to complete “hours at the exit” so that his friends who lived far away would arrive home as soon as possible. Gal was very motivated and spoke only good about the army. Gal had finished his course as he had promised himself, but he never got the badge he deserved. The graduation ceremony and receipt of the badge was postponed due to the outbreak of Operation Tzuk Eitan, and his parents received his warrior’s badge after his fall. Gal was killed three months before his expected release from regular service. On 28 Tamuz, July 25, 2014, Gal’s crew was assigned a mission to open a route in the Beit Hanoun area, and Gal volunteered to go on a mission with two other soldiers. An anti-tank missile hit him and Gal fell in battle. He was twenty years old when he fell. Gal was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Holon. Survived by his parents, brother and sister. He was promoted to First Sergeant after his death.
