Former hostage Liri Albag eulogized killed soldier and former classmate St.-Sgt. Yoav Raver in an Instagram story on Friday, after his death was announced along with the deaths of three other soldiers who were all killed in the same incident in Khan Yunis.
"Yoav was in my class. He’s someone who does everything calmly and quietly. He always respects everyone and makes those around him feel at ease," Albag said.
The four soldiers were killed when a bomb detonated, causing a building to collapse on the troops. Five soldiers were wounded in the same incident, one severely.
"Yoav was the son of Lior and Gili Raver and the brother of Tamar and Omri, a graduate of Ami Asaf Educational Center. Our hearts are broken," the Drom Hasharon Regional Council said in a Facebook statement.
Warr. Ofc. Gross, 33, from Gan Yoshiya, was named as another soldier killed in the explosion. The names of the two other killed soldiers were not cleared for publication.
Roni Ben-Av, Gross's close friend, wrote in a Facebook post: "And there was darkness. I get the message, Chen Gross, it can't be, my neighbor? This champion? No way, just two weeks ago I asked you, 'Is this it, Chen? Is Gaza over?' and you answered me, 'No, where, I'm going and coming back.' 'Take care of yourself,' I asked. We loved seeing you walk with the dogs, smiling a huge smile, building, assembling cars nonstop, and more.
"You are a loss to the world, I walk past your house and can't believe it. Chen, what, is that it? The best ones go. The light has gone out. I’m sorry for you, for your parents, what a loss! May God avenge your blood!"
"I want to tell you in a few words about Chen, about the aspects that I knew. I don’t consider myself his closest friend, but still," Yishai Tshuva wrote.
"I met Chen when he came to learn welding from me in a course I taught many years ago. Our paths crossed over the years in other ways – his parents, Adi and Irit, who own a company dealing with pumps, became my clients. Chen was the only former student I kept in touch with (and there were several hundred over the years).
"Chen, the next generation of Adi and Irit, worked in the family factory, pushed it forward, was an entrepreneur at heart, and no obstacle stopped him. He was a man of action and work, making his way with honesty, integrity, good spirit, and cooperation. A cheerful guy, direct, a real charm. Under his hands, the factory moved a few years ago from its previous location in Kibbutz Vitkin to the Shak Industrial Park. I remember him telling me on the phone how cold it was there in the winter because the whole building was still open.
"Chen worked on establishing a foundry in the factory, first for bronze and later for steel parts for pumps, bodies, and various fittings. He organized and changed the production departments in the factory, and as the right-hand man of Adi and Irit, he was responsible for daily operations. Yes, if I forgot to mention, he also went out for outside work.
"My heart is with you, dear friend, forever, I will never forget you. I don’t have comforting words that can really ease the pain, my heart is with the family," Tshuva concluded.
Rotem Ben-Abraham, the security coordinator of the community of Hinnanit and close friend of former Sergeant Major Chen Gross, said with pain: "A person who loved to help everyone, a great fighter, was only a good man who would never do harm to anyone in the world."
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said Chen was "a brave and precious fighter, and a dedicated resident of Hinanit and Samaria. He was part of the community and the security and civilian efforts in the settlement and the area. A person of stature who was loved by all who knew him. On behalf of all the residents of Samaria, I send a deep embrace to the Gross family, his friends, and loved ones. Chen will never be forgotten in our hearts."
Hinanit chair Or Yakubovitch called Gross an "exceptional person, with a lot of social involvement, and a full partner in the settlement, an athlete, a fighter in a special unit, a businessman, and a man of the earth. We embrace the family in this difficult time."
The Emek Hefer Regional Council grieved Gross's death. "Chen was the son of Irit and Adi and the brother of Mor and Raz, a graduate of Ma'ayan Regional High School in Emek Hefer. We embrace the family, friends, and residents of Gan Yoshiya with immense sorrow."
'An entire nation is overwhelmed with grief'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a sad and difficult day," stating, "On behalf of all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our four heroic fighters who fell in Gaza in the campaign to defeat Hamas and return our hostages."
Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed his hopes for the wounded soldiers’ recovery and posted on X/Twitter, "There are no words that can comfort the magnitude of the loss." He added that the soldiers acted "with strength and determination against a cruel enemy, for the security of our citizens and for the release of the kidnapped."
President Isaac Herzog underscored the national pain. "The cost of war is extremely heavy. This is a time of great sorrow — but also of great commitment: To stand behind the generation of heroic warriors, to embrace the families of the fallen, and to ensure that their names and heroism are never forgotten. An entire nation is overwhelmed with grief."
Opposition leader and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid remarked, "Every Shabbat table in Israel will be quieter and sadder tonight." He extended condolences to the families of Raver and Gross, "the heroes of Israel who fell in the incident in Gaza," and wished a swift recovery to the wounded.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett acknowledged the devastation for the bereaved families. "The people of Israel grieve with you and surround you with all their love. The boys fell in action in the heart of Khan Yunis against Hamas murderers. How sad. How painful."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also offered his condolences and wrote in a Facebook post that he is "praying together with all the people of Israel for the recovery of the wounded."
Just before Shabbat, Likud MK and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana expressed his condolences to the friends and families of those killed.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin called the news unbearable. "I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of Warr. Ofc. Chen Gross, St.-Sgt. Yoav Raver, and the two other fighters whose names have not yet been released, and I wish a swift recovery to the soldiers wounded in the same incident.”
Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen added, “I send my condolences to the families who lost their most precious loved ones defending the country, and wish a speedy recovery to the soldiers wounded in this difficult incident."
Echoing the grief felt nationwide, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat reflected, “They went to fight for the country they loved so much, courageously battling on the frontlines against a cruel enemy for the security of us all."
Democrats MKs, Naama Lazimi and Gilad Kariv, also sent condolences to the family and friends of the killed soldiers, noting the significance of their loss to them.