Duvdevan combat medic, Sgt.-Maj. Yona Betzalel Brief, wounded on Oct. 7, passes away

Brief, 23, from Modi’in, served as a combat medic in the Duvdevan Unit. 

 Sgt.-Maj. Yona Betzalel Brief. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Sgt.-Maj. Yona Betzalel Brief.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Sgt.-Maj. Yona Betzalel Brief, who was wounded while fighting in the Gaza border communities on October 7 of last year, succumbed to his wounds, the IDF announced on Tuesday. 

Sgt.-Maj. Brief, 23, from Modi’in, served as a combat medic in the Duvdevan Unit and was seriously wounded in combat. He leaves behind two parents. 

According to Channel 12, Brief was wounded on October 7 while operating to rescue residents of Kfar Aza under fire. 

'A symbol of values, heroism and self-sacrifice'

"[Brief] was a symbol of values, heroism, and self-sacrifice, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate in our hearts," Modi'in mayor Haim Bibas was cited by Channel 12 as saying. 

 A view shows a destroyed home riddled with bullets, following the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel November 2, 2023.  (credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)
A view shows a destroyed home riddled with bullets, following the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel November 2, 2023. (credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)

According to the IDF's tally, some 804 soldiers have been killed on or since October 7 of last year.

Separately, the military further stated that an engineering soldier in reserve had been seriously wounded in combat in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.