Sgt. Aviad Deri
May 11, 2004 - Sgt. Aviad Deri, 21, of Ma'aleh Adumim was killed with five other soldiers when Palestinian gunmen detonated a mine under their armored personal carrier in the Gaza Strip.
Deri and his Givati Brigade comrades were returning from an operation in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City to destroy weapons factories when their APC was hit. The blast detonated left-over explosives the engineering unit was transporting, destroying the APC and killing the soldiers instantly.
Aviad grew up in the Ma'alot Dafna neighborhood of Jerusalem and completed his studies at a yeshiva high school, followed by the Hemdat Academy in the Jordan Valley, where he combined religious studies and military training. The family recently moved to Ma'aleh Adumim. Aviad celebrated his 21st birthday just a week before he was killed.
Deri was an outstanding soldier whose commander asked him to enroll in the officer's course. An uncle, Moshe, described him as "an ethical, humble, talented person, with a promising military career."
On leave shortly before he was killed, while coming home from a basketball game, the car he was driving was totally destroyed in a collision. Aviad escaped unharmed, but told his family, "I've looked death in the eye." While still officially on sick leave, he insisted on returning to active duty.
Sgt. Aviad Deri was buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, Chaim and Tamar, two sisters, Chen and Liat, and a younger brother, Asa'el.