Eldad Regev

File:Regev & Goldwasser Memorial in Idmit Park, Israel.jpg in Adamit Park]]

Eldad was born and raised in Kiryat Motzkin. Eldad was the son of Zvi and Tova Regev, and had three brothers.{{Cite web |title=Yizkor page of Eldad Regev |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%93%20%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%91/en_39534016e2ac6cdf9f96f69a5a56fa20 |access-date=December 8, 2023}} He attended secondary school at the Yeshiva High School in Kiryat Shmuel, excelling in biology. His mother Tova died when he was in the 12th grade. Eldad volunteered for the infantry Givati Brigade. After his army service in the Israel Defense Forces, he traveled to the Far East.

After returning to Israel, he enrolled in a pre-academic program in preparation for his studies at the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University. Two months after his abduction and towards the beginning of the academic year, the university announced that Regev had been accepted for undergraduate studies.{{Cite news |last=ראב"ד |first=אחיה |date=2006-09-11 |title=אלדד רגב התקבל ללימודי משפטים בבר-אילן |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3302322,00.html |access-date=2023-12-08}} The university president, Moshe Kaveh, even wrote to the family expressing hope that Regev would return to Israel and commence his law studies as planned.

Eldad enjoyed soccer, music and books, and played for Maccabi Neve Sha'anan Eldad F.C.{{cite news|title=Remains of abducted soldiers Goldwasser and Regev returned home|date=16 July 2006|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+from+Lebanon-+Hizbullah/Bodies+of+abducted+soldiers+Goldwasser+and+Regev+returned+home+16-Jul-2008.htm|accessdate=22 November 2014}}

{{Main|2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid}}

File:PikiWiki Israel 20847 2006 lebanon war memorial near lebanon border.JPG

On the morning of July 12, 2006, at 09:05, Hezbollah initiated a rocket attack on northern Israeli communities using Katyusha and mortar shells as a diversionary tactic. At the same time, in the area of Kibbutz Zar'it near the northern Israeli border (which was unoccupied), at coordinate 105, where the Zar'it-Shetula road crosses the security fence, a Hezbollah squad infiltrated the border without detection. The squad attacked with anti-tank guided missiles two IDF military vehicles called the Achzarit that were patrolling along the border.

From the first vehicle in which Regev and Goldwasser were traveling, two soldiers managed to escape, with one of them severely injured. Hezbollah operatives did not discover them. The second vehicle sustained a direct hit by an anti-tank guided missile, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers – Eyal Benin,{{Cite web |title=Eyal Benin's life story, from the Yzkor website, by the Ministry of Defense |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%90%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9C-%D7%98%D7%95%D7%91%D7%99%D7%94%20%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9F/en_abd9b304a0f57393b40eac40598a80ac |access-date=December 8, 2023}} Shani Turgeman,{{Cite web |title=Shani Turgeman's life story, from the Yzkor website, by the Ministry of Defense |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%99%20%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%9E%D7%9F/en_4174f2dc313c32142451f8f68436701f |access-date=December 8, 2023}} and Wassim Salach Nazal.{{Cite web |title=Wasim Nazal's life story, from the Yzkor website, by the Ministry of Defense |url=https://www.izkor.gov.il/%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9D%20%D7%A0%D7%96%D7%90%D7%9C/en_41b35e1582ff2607bb7c8ef38e07b4b0 |access-date=December 8, 2023}} Immediately afterward, another Hezbollah squad breached the security fence, entered Israeli territory, and abducted two reserve soldiers from the IDF's 5th Division, Regev and Staff Sergeant Ehud Goldwasser, who were most probably murdered during the attack or were severely injured and succumbed shortly after.

The squad withdrew with the soldiers into Lebanese territory, where a vehicle was waiting near the fence to swiftly transfer them to a hiding place in the village of Ayta ash-Sha'b. Another armed squad, equipped with rifles and RPGs, covered the abductors. The Lebanese newspaper "Al-Akhbar" described the extensive preparations and details of the abduction.{{Cite web |date=July 12, 2007 |title=Hezbollah reveals how they planned and executed the abduction attack |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/51/ART1/607/994.html}}

The incident occurred in the Wadi Naim area and was not immediately detected by the IDF positions, so it took about 45 minutes to discover the abduction and declare the Hannibal Directive in response.{{Cite news |title=אייזנקוט: תוכנן מבצע קצר, דברים השתבשו |language=he |work=הארץ |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2007-04-26/ty-article/0000017f-dbc5-db22-a17f-fff55db30000 |access-date=2023-12-08}} A tank from the IDF's 82nd Battalion and an armored personnel carrier were dispatched to Lebanon about an hour later to locate the abductors. The tank was loaded with a half-ton of explosive material, and four crew members were killed.{{cite news |date=13 July 2006 |title=IDF releases names of two reserve soldiers captured by Hezbollah |work=Haaretz |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/738310.html}} Subsequently, another soldier from the 50th Battalion's mortar unit, Sgt. Nimrod Cohen, was reportedly killed attempting to retrieve their bodies.{{Cite web |title=Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Victims of rocket attacks and IDF casualties |url=https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Hizbullah/Pages/Israel-Hizbullah%20conflict-%20Victims%20of%20rocket%20attacks%20and%20IDF%20casualties%20July-Aug%202006.aspx}}

{{Main|2008 Israel–Hezbollah prisoner exchange}}

On June 29, 2008, the Israeli government approved, by a majority of 22 to 3, a prisoner exchange deal, facilitated by Ofer Dekel.

The deal led to the release of Samir Kuntar, four additional prisoners, and about 199 bodies of Hezbollah members that were temporarily buried in Israel.{{Cite news |last=ynet |date=2008-08-02 |title=סוף העסקה עם חיזבאללה: 5 פלסטינים ישוחררו |lang=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3576657,00.html |access-date=2023-12-08}}{{cite news |author=Myra Noveck |author2=Graham Bowley |date=18 July 2008 |title=Funerals in Israel for Two Soldiers |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/world/middleeast/18israel.html?ref=middleeast |accessdate=18 July 2008}} In return, Israel would receive from Hezbollah the two abducted soldiers (Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser). Until the actual implementation of the agreement, Israel would not receive explicit information on whether they were alive or dead.

The third and final phase of the agreement was designated as a tribute to the Palestinian people, during which approximately 5 Palestinian prisoners were released. The identity of the prisoners was determined by the State of Israel.

On July 17, 2008, one day after the completion of the exchange, the bodies of the soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev{{cite news |date=16 July 2008 |title=UN identifying bodies presumed to be of Goldwasser, Regev |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330982807&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203072930/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330982807&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archivedate=2012-02-03}} were brought for burial. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, festive celebrations took place, and a day of celebration was declared. Numerous people participated in the funerals of the two soldiers. Ehud Goldwasser was buried in the military cemetery in Nahariya, and Eldad Regev was buried in the military cemetery in Haifa.{{Cite web |date=2008-07-16 |title=רגב וגולדווסר יובאו היום למנוחות - וואלה! חדשות |url=https://news.walla.co.il/item/1313833 |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=וואלה! |lang=he}} After the return of their remains, Regev and Goldwasser had their ranks raised. On August 6, several more prisoners were released.

File:Regev & Goldwasser Memorial in Idmit Park.jpg

After Regev's death, the song "Yadat SheZe Zmani" (You Knew It Was Temporary), which he wrote, was found in his room. As part of the Israel Defense Forces' project called "Soon It Will Turn into a Song" from 2009, the music was composed by Doron Medalie, and Eyal Golan volunteered to perform it.{{Cite news |last=ברנע |first=אור |date=2009-04-27 |title=אלדד רגב כתב, אייל גולן שר |language=he |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3706962,00.html |access-date=2023-12-08}}{{Citation |title=אייל גולן ידעת שזה זמני Eyal Golan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmX3izU47Eo |access-date=2023-12-08 |language=en}}

• Ehud Goldwasser
• Gilad Shalit
• Israeli MIAs

{{Reflist}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061212014136/http://www.banim.org/en/index_en.html Official site about the 2006 MIAs (Shalit, Goldwasser, Regev)]}}, banim.org; accessed 22 November 2014.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20220613004306/http://www.geocities.com/dror1989/ourboys.html Our Boys: Downloadable AIM icons to show support and raise awareness]
• [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3274258,00.html Event of Two Israeli Soldiers Kidnapped], Ynetnews; accessed 22 November 2014.

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Category:1980 births

Category:2006 deaths

Category:2006 Lebanon War

Category:Israeli soldiers

Category:Israeli people taken hostage

Category:People from Kiryat Yam

Category:Place of death unknown

Category:Israeli military personnel killed in action

Category:Military personnel missing in action

Category:Kidnappings by Islamists