1st Lt. Itai Eyal, z”l

First Lieutenant Itai Eyal, “Itaki,” was born in Ramot HaShavim to Yael and Moshe (Muki), the only brother of Asaf. Itai grew up in a small, warm, and close-knit family. His early childhood was spent in the moshav. A child of flowers and birds, with a head full of curls, laughing blue eyes, and an eternal smile.

When he was in fifth grade, his family went on a mission to France. Itai was integrated into the Israeli School “Moshe Sharett” in Paris. After four years in France, the family returned to Israel and settled in Hod HaSharon. Itai studied at Katznelson High School in Kfar Saba. He was a promising young man – charming, a true friend, modest and noble. Full of joy for life, he was beautiful inside and out, and well-liked and loved by all.

Itai loved animals very much. In his free time, he rode horses, and in the afternoons, he worked in a veterinary clinic. His dream was to study veterinary medicine. He planned to learn Italian in case he needed to travel to Italy to fulfill his dream.

In August 1983, Itai enlisted in the IDF's Combat Engineering Corps. He completed basic training with honors and was assigned to an engineering battalion. Later, he attended officers’ course. He had great motivation and saw military service as both a duty and a privilege. Itai never complained about anything – neither about shortages nor about hardships. He would always say, “Everything’s fine” and “It will be alright.” His mother, Yael, wrote about that time: “You are growing before our eyes, in spirit and in body. And the training is clearly hard and exhausting (judging by the wounded hands and feet), but you make it sound more like summer camp than the army… And you embrace the world, love it, and it loves you back – everything in an embrace and in goodness.”

After completing his professional training at the Military Engineering School, Itai volunteered for the Bomb Disposal Unit. Upon completing his training in the unit, he joined the training branch of the bomb disposal system, where he prepared theoretical material for writing bomb disposal instructions, conducted munitions experiments, and participated in operational activities. His friends in the unit affectionately called him “E.T.”.

Itai served in the unit for seven months until he fell. His commander in the unit said he was “a devoted and extraordinarily friendly officer. Everywhere he went, he left his personal mark and gained many new friends.”

On September 3, 1985, Itai fell during operational work in Bikat Sayarim while assisting in the examination of new munitions for the IDF, intended to improve the army’s deterrence capability. He was 20 years old at the time of his death. He was laid to rest in the military section of the Ramot HaShavim cemetery, facing the view of his childhood that he so loved.

May his memory be blessed.