Hush, Ashraf

Ben Fathia and Khaled. Was born on August 15, 1973 in Mazarib, a Bedouin village in northern Israel. He grew up in Mazarib with his four sisters – Samar, Samia, Amal and Adabah and his two brothers – Yosef and Assari. He attended elementary school in Mazarib and continued to Amal 1 in Zarzir, which he completed successfully with full matriculation. Ashraf loved his family and respected his parents very much. His sister-in-law, Abtasam, described the special relationship that had developed between him and his nephews, and recounted the extraordinary devotion he showed to Yarin, his nephew who had been ill; Ashraf searched for hours waiting for the child’s desire and did not give up until he found what he wanted. When he came to visit him with his gift, Ashraf made so much joy for the child that his powers returned to him and he began to recover from his illness. Ashraf’s kindness, sensitivity, and willingness to come to the aid of any person at any time gave him many lovers and a respectful attitude. Ashraf was a member of the Scout movement in his village throughout his studies. In his free time, when he was not busy with his studies or the youth movement, he devoted time to sport: he loved to run and swim, and whenever he went to the sea or the pool, he spent long hours swimming. He had been looking forward to his enlistment in the army even though the idea had not been widely supported by his family. In April 1994, Ashraf enlisted in the IDF, began a combat career in the Bedouin patrol battalion, developed great love for the army and integrated into the unit, and became a model soldier and a first-rate fighter. As a result of his high figures and thanks to his motivation, Ashraf was sent to an officers’ course, successfully completed his studies and returned to the battalion as an officer. After a while he was appointed commander of a company in the Bedouin battalion Narez, who professionally led his soldiers in their operational activities in the Gaza Strip, but also knew how to take care of their welfare and deal with their personal problems. Ashraf planned to marry Yasmin, his fiancée, and began building his house, near his parents’ home. He had many dreams, plans, and aspirations for a lifetime. He was supposed to go to study for the Ofek program of the army, but did not get it. On January 9, 2002, Ashraf fell in battle near Kerem Shalom. That same morning, a group of terrorists from the Gaza Strip attempted to infiltrate the African outpost near the security fence. The soldiers of the Bedouin battalion who were in the outpost began to fight the terrorists. During the exchange of fire, Ashraf, commander of the company, arrived and joined the battle. Before the terrorists were liquidated, Ashraf was killed and three of his soldiers were killed, including Sergeant Hana Abu-Ghanem, Sergeant Ibrahim Khamaida and First Sergeant Mufid Suad. Ashraf was twenty-eight years old when he fell. He was laid to rest in the military section of Beit Zarzir cemetery. Survived by her parents, her fiance, four sisters and two brothers. After his death he was promoted to Major.