The IDF have confirmed that Master Sergeant (reserve) Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed by Hamas during a failed “abduction attempt” in Khan Younis on Wednesday.
According to official reports, Hamas terrorists emerged from a nearby tunnel and initially tried to abduct the soldier, but when this failed, they shot him.
The State of Israel’s official Instagram account reported: “Hamas terrorists tried to kidnap him. He fought back - and they murdered him.”
Eye witnesses said that, after killing Azulay, the terrorists tried to steal his body – but were prevented from doing so when other Israeli soldiers in the area opened fire on them.
According to The Times of Israel, Hamas’s military wing confirmed this story, announcing that gunmen had attempted to capture a soldier east of Khan Younis, but that the “field conditions did not allow for it, so they killed him and seized his weapon”.
Azulay was married just three months ago, and is survived by his wife, Ruth, and his parents.
At the time of his death, Azulay was on reservist duty, serving as a vehicle operator in the combat engineering unit of the Southern Command. He was operating an excavator as his unit attempted to dismantle an undeground tunnel used by Hamas.
However, during his mandatory army service, he had served in the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion.
Azulay served 66 days as a reservist from the start of the war until March 2024, earning him a promotion to sergeant first class. However, after an unauthorised leave of absence, he was jailed and demoted to the rank of private – before being called up once again in June 2025.
The Israeli military have announced that “in light of the fact that he was killed in the face of an enemy while sacrificing his life,” Azulay will be restored to his rank and posthumously promoted to Staff-Sergeant-Major.
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