Ziadna, Aqel

Ben Amneh and Salameh Ziad. Aqel was born on May 8, 1972 in the tribe of Ziyadna. Their place of residence is located in the southern part of the city of Rahat, near Kibbutz Mishmar HaNegev. Akel was born into a large family with many children. He was the first pair of twins, together with his brother Akil. They were followed by Aqla, the twins Muhsen and Fatma, Hur, the twins Mas’ad and Sayid, and the youngest child Attia. Akel was a beloved son of his parents and members of his tribe. He attended elementary school in Rahat until the sixth grade, and then went to work and help support the family. He loved his parents and younger brothers, and took care of everything they needed. On September 27, 1988, Akel married his beloved Miriam. In the years to come, they had eight children: Aylam, Amar, Ikhlam, Kamel, Rad, Iman, a jailer and Rowan, who was born forty days before her father’s death. On December 23, 1992, Akel enlisted in regular service and was a tracker in Givati. During his service he dreamed of continuing to serve in the Border Police. At the end of his service, he left for civilian service, but eight months later, on August 6, 1995, his dream came true and he was drafted into the career army as a combat tracker. He was stationed in Bethlehem. In 1988, he was promoted to the rank of Major General, and during his service in Bethlehem, Akel requested a transfer to serve in the Border Guard south, close to home, so that he could finish high school. After many requests, he received a permit to transfer to the Border Police in the south, and he did complete his high school studies without harming his continued service, and Akal was a serious guy who did everything he could and made the right decisions whenever needed. Akel was a loved one in his unit, with a large heart and a lot of friends, and on August 30, 1999, Akel received a certificate of appreciation from the commander of the regional brigade in southern Israel. In this spirit he achieved the goals of the unit and the police. On 21 November 1999, at the end of the night shift as a tracker, First Sergeant Akel was killed in a road accident on his way to the Ofakim base in order to transfer the jeep and operational equipment for the next shift. He was twenty-seven when he fell. Akel was buried in the cemetery of the Ziadna tribe in Rahat. A large crowd accompanied him on his last journey – family members, dignitaries of the community, soldiers and commanders, his comrades in the unit. Left a wife and eight children, parents and eight brothers and sisters.