Lt David-Hen Cohen

Nov 1, 2000 - Lt. David-Hen Cohen, 21, of Karmiel was killed in a shooting incident in the El-Khader area, near Bethlehem.

Lt. David-Chen Cohen, 21, of Karmiel, died when armed Palestinians, including uniformed policemen, opened fire at an IDF roadblock outside El-Khader. The shots came from several directions, including from Solomon's Pools across the road. The initial round of sniper fire wounded several soldiers and killed one, Sgt. Shlomo Adshina, on the spot. Cohen ran to evacuate the wounded, and in the process was himself mortally wounded. He died shortly thereafter.

The heavy gunfire continued and the IDF sent in armored personnel carriers, tanks, and helicopter gunships, which fired at the Palestinian positions and began evacuating the wounded under fire. The evacuation took close to an hour and the entire battle lasted for approximately five hours, ending at nightfall.

The young officer was raised in Karmiel. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects at the family's home. All described him as a warm-hearted person who was always among the first to volunteer help to others.

Lt. David-Chen Cohen, who was laid to rest in the military section of the city's cemetery, leaves behind his parents, Tami and Itzhak, a sister, Anat, 24, and a brother, Shlomi, aged 15.