Shaul, Oron

Oron, Zehava and Herzl Shaul’s second son was born in 1993 in Poriah. What characterized him more than anything else was his love of the homeland. He performed his duties with dedication and thoroughness. In June 2014, rocket fire from the Gaza Strip to Israel increased, followed by Israel’s Operation Tzuk Eitan against Hamas. The armored personnel carrier that Oron and his friends drove in got stuck in one of the streets of the neighborhood as a result of a mechanical malfunction, and during the attempt to rescue him, he was attacked with antitank missiles. Oron was wounded and dragged by Hamas members into a tunnel. A few days after the kidnapping, the Hamas terrorist organization announced that its men were holding Oron. This was the first time that Hamas issued an official statement about the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, which was unprecedented in the past. Oron is still being held captive in Gaza by the Hamas terrorist organization. First Sergeant Oron Shaul was survived by his parents, Zahava and Herzl, and two brothers – Aviram and Ofek. The painful and difficult reality in which Oron is being held by Hamas and the uncertainty caused cancer to erupt in the body of Herzl, Oron’s father. On September 2, 2016, Herzl Shaul, fifty-four years old, died. His illness had overwhelmed him in his prime although he had hoped to see Oron coming home from the war.