Apr 16, 2008 - Sgt. Menhash Al-Banyat, 20, of the Bedouin community of Kseife was one of three IDF soldiers killed in a confrontation with armed Palestinian gunmen approached the security fence south of the Nahal Oz fuel terminal.
At around 6 am soldiers manning an IDF observation post near the security fence between Israel and Gaza identified a terror cell of six Palestinian gunmen approaching the fence near Kibbutz Be'eri in an apparent attempt to infiltrate Israel. A force from Givati's Tzabar Battalion confronted the terrorists. In the exchange of fire, three soldiers were killed. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
Menhash al-Banyat was the eldest of 18 siblings born to his father's two wives. He served in the IDF as a tracker, as is customary in his family. "Here all of the brothers and cousins serve in the army," one relative said. Menhash attended high school in Kseife, the Bedouin permanent community near his village. Menhash was soon to be married, and had built a house for himself in the village. Mortally wounded in the attack, Menhash was evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where he died of his wounds shortly afterwards.
Sgt. Menhash al-Banyat was buried in Kseife. He is survived by his parents and siblings, two of whom are currently serving in the IDF.