The mother of the fallen Givati soldier, St.-Sgt. Oriya Ayimalk Goshen revealed that her son was killed during a January 2024 operation tied to an attempted rescue of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas during the Yad LaBanim Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday.
Yafit Goshen said her son fell during “Operation Red Heart” in Khan Yunis while taking part in an effort to free Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir. The revelation added new public detail to a battle in which Goshen and fellow Givati soldier St.-Sgt. Ori Gerbi was killed.
The disclosure came more than two years after the soldiers’ deaths and after Israel later learned that Shiri Bibas and her children had already been killed in captivity.
The Bibas family became one of the most widely recognized symbols of the October 7 hostage crisis, with later reporting and forensic findings confirming the deaths of Ariel and Kfir Bibas in Gaza.
“When Oriya took part in Operation Red Heart to rescue hostages, he not only defended the state’s borders, he closed a historic circle,” Goshen said, adding that Israeli society must prove itself worthy of the sacrifice of the fallen and calling for national unity.
Netanyahu, Ohana, Jerusalem mayor all attended ceremony
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion all attended the ceremony. Netanyahu addressed bereaved families and said the pain of loss does not fade with time, while linking the memorial event to Israel’s ongoing regional war.
In his remarks, Netanyahu said Israel was still in the middle of a multi-front conflict and had not yet completed its campaign. He also pointed to Iran as a central threat and said Israeli security forces had struck repeated blows against those seeking to harm the country.