A Father Remembers Staff Sgt. Ori Greenberg, 21: His Last Call and a Plea for Unity

The father of Staff Sgt. Ori Greenberg, a 21-year-old soldier from Petah Tikva in the Golani Brigade's reconnaissance unit who was killed overnight (Thursday) in southern Lebanon, shared in an interview with Reshet Bet about his son and described a young man who stood out in everything he did. "A one-of-a-kind kid, he excelled in every path he took," said Yaron. According to him, Ori chose to serve in Golani following his brother and was supposed to be discharged in two months.

Yaron recalled the last conversation with Ori, which took place a few days before his death: "He said, 'Dad, it's boring, boring, we're not doing anything.' I replied, 'Let it be boring, it's all fine—just come back.'" He described the rest of the story with pain: "Today at 5:30 they knocked on our door. We received the most terrible news of all."

Alongside the memories, the father also wanted to convey what he defines as his son's ethical legacy. He said that after his discharge from the army, Ori planned to continue as an emissary with the Jewish Agency: "If there is a final directive that Ori leaves behind in his death, it is that there be 'bringing hearts closer closer and love among brothers in the people of Israel'."

The IDF updated that Greenberg was killed during a close-range encounter with terrorists in southern Lebanon at 2:10 a.m. Another soldier was very lightly wounded, and the rest of the force killed the attackers.