Eldad Regev

(1980-2006)

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Eldad Regev (26 at the time of his abduction) was born on August 16, 1980 in Qiryat Motzkin. He was the son of Zvi and the late Tova, and brother of Benny, Ofer and Eyal. Regev went to high school at the Yeshiva High School in Kiryat Shmuel and after his mother death when he was in the 12th grade, he enrolled in a combat unit of the Israel Defense Forces and served in the elite Givati infantry brigade. After traveling to the Far East following his army service, he began pre-law studies at Bar Ilan University in hopes of joining its law faculty.

On July 12, Regev's military patrol along the Lebanese border was attacked by Hezbollah terrorists and he was kidnapped along with Ehud Goldwasser and taken into Lebanon. The cross-border raid by Hezbollah forced Israel to launch the Second Lebanon War with the dual hopes of reducing Hezbollah's military strength and securing the release of Regev and Goldwasser.

On April 12, 2007, the U.S. Congress passed a bill demanding the immediate release of all Israeli soldiers by Hamas and Hezbollah, in particular Gilad Shalit, Regev and Goldwasser.

On July 16, 2008, Hezbollah gave Israel the coffins of Goldwasser and Regev in exchange for Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, four other Hezbollah fighters Israel captured in the 2006 war, and the remains of 199 Lebanese and Palestinian terrorists.

On Thursday, July 17, 2008, Regev was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class and was buried at the Haifa Military Cemetery.

Sources: Wikipedia, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs