St-Sgt Be-eri Oved

March 5, 2003 - St.-Sgt. Be'eri Oved, 21, of Rosh Pina, was one of 17 people killed in a suicide bombing of an Egged bus on Moriah Boulevard in the Carmel section of Haifa.

The bus was traveling on the city's main Moriah Boulevard near the Carmel Center, on the way to Haifa University, when the blast turned the bus into a charred wreck and scattered bodies along the road. The suicide bomber, who had boarded the bus, had the bomb strapped to his body, laden with metal shrapnel in order to maximize the number of injuries. A total of 17 people were killed and 53 injured.

Be'eri Oved, the youngest in his family, grew up in Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee and completed his high school studies in nearby Hatzor. An artillery instructor, he was to have completed his army service in another five months. He was on a week's leave from the army and was on his way to visit his grandfather and grandmother at a senior citizens' home in Haifa when he was killed.

His sister Limor said, "Be'eir was generous, bashful and modest. His favorite hobby was computers."

St.-Sgt. Be'eri Oved was buried in Rosh Pina. He is survived by his parents, Shula and Zamir, a brother and sister.