Ilya Sankin

Sergeant Ilya Sankin, z"l, from Nof HaGalil, served as a fighter in the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip, was 20 years old in his death. With courage and heroism he fought in the battles of Gaza to protect the State of Israel and its citizens. Tatiana his sister paid tribute to him: "He is my younger brother, was born almost 17 years after me. I raised him just like my own child. He really loved the army, he was really, really committed. He was happy, calm and motivated. He told me 'I have one task - to bring the kidnapped children home. I'm not leaving until the children come home." Ella Bonis, Ilya's girlfriend: "He was always a light. He told me, 'I'm not coming home until all the abductees come home.' When he entered Gaza, he said that this was his calling and that he did not want to die.