ANOTHER TERROR CASUALTY: Commando Noam Raz, Hy”d, Killed near Jenin

By: Yehuda Alter 

Yet another casualty, R”l, in the recent terror wave that has hit Israel in the form of knife and gun attacks, took place this morning with the tragic death of  Police commando Sgt. Maj. Noam Raz, 47, who fell in battle on the West Bank.

Raz was part of a team that was conducting raids on the homes of terror suspects in the village of Burqin near Jenin. 

Terrorists opened fire, and the police returned fire. A joint statement issued by police and the IDF read: “During the operation, Israeli forces fired at armed terrorists who opened heavy fire and threw explosives toward them… As part of the operation, forces used various special measures to arrest a suspect who had barricaded himself in his home.” 

They were acting on information from Israeli intelligence organizations, seeking to smoke out terror cells that were planning more attacks on Israeli citizens. 

In this exchange, Raz was hit and seriously wounded. He was evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where he was declared deceased, Hy”d. 

Raz, a 23-year veteran of the elite Yamam counterterror unit, leaves behind a wife and six children. Police describe him as an experienced fighter who had “taken part in hundreds of operations to prevent terror, risked himself and saved lives.

Hashem Yikom Damo