Israel–Hamas War: The all-out war between Israel and Hamas continues. Both sides are also retaliating against each other. Meanwhile, amid rising tensions in the West Bank, a 24-year-old Israeli soldier of Indian origin was killed in Beit Al settlement on Wednesday (September 11). The Israeli army said that Staff Sergeant Gary Gideon Hanghal (24) was a soldier in the Nahshon battalion of the Kfir Brigade. He was a resident of Nof HaGalil.
Members of the Bnei Menashe community told news agency PTI that they were “shocked by the news of the death of a young man” near Assaf Junction and that the funeral would be held on Thursday (September 9–12). In 2020, Gerry Gideon Hanghal moved to Israel from India’s northeastern region.
The city of Nof HaGalil is mourning – Mayor
Meanwhile, Nof Hagalil Mayor Ronen Plaut said, “The city of Nof Hagalil is mourning the death of Staff Sergeant Gerry Gideon Hanghal. Gideon was a member of the Bnei Menashe community, which is very close to my heart. Let us tell you that about 300 Bnei Menashe youth are on military duty during the ongoing war. Most of them work in combat units.
Know what is the connection with Manipur and Mizoram?
According to the Indian Express report, members of Bnei Menahese, who belong to Manipur and Mizoram, are believed to be descendants of the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of ancient times. About 1,500 members of the community are said to have migrated to Israel in the last 5 years. It is being said that about 5,000 people have migrated to Israel so far.
What is the matter?
CCTV footage from the scene shows a truck with Palestinian license plates traveling at high speed on a busy highway and hitting an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint near a bus stop before stopping. Israeli security sources have named the suspect as 58-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah, a resident of the central West Bank city of Rafat. They said Sergeant Hanghal had immigrated to Israel from the northeastern part of India in 2020. The attack comes after a series of suicide bombings and shootings that began in the West Bank.