The IDF cleared for publication the names of Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, a battery commander from Herzliya, and Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, 32, a combat commander from Yitzhar, both killed during a terror attack near the village of Tell in the Shomron Brigade area, the military announced Friday afternoon.
On Friday morning, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a group of Israeli hikers near the village of Tell in Samaria, after snatching a weapon from a civilian security officer. The attacker killed Benayahu Mellet, 32, a member of the Havat Gilad emergency response team and a reserve soldier, who ran toward the gunfire to help others. An IDF officer, Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, a battery commander from Herzliya, was also killed when he arrived at the scene.
The IDF tracked down the terrorist, identified as Farouk Adnan Ramchan, the chief sheikh of Tell, and killed him along with three family members. The military later cleared for publication the names of the two fallen soldiers: Master Sergeant (res.) Benayahu Mellet, a combat commander in the Jerusalem Brigade's 8119th Battalion, and Maj. Yuval Ezra, a battery commander in the 282nd Artillery Regiment's 411th Battalion. The IDF announced their deaths on Friday afternoon.
The attack has drawn condemnation from Israeli leaders and calls for increased security measures in the area. A preliminary investigation found that the hiking group had not coordinated with military forces.
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