An Israeli NGO, Shavei Israel, appealed for help for the family of an Indian-origin Israeli soldier, who was killed in a vehicle-ramming attack. The NGO asked people to help the family immigrate to Israel.
Shavei Israel helps in facilitating the immigration of Indian-origin Jews from Manipur and Mizoram, known as Bnei Menashe.
A 24-year-old Indian-origin Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal was killed on duty earlier this month in a vehicle ramming attack near Asaf Junction, close to the West Bank‘s Beit El settlement.
“First Sgt Gideon Hanghal was a Bnei Menashe hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for Israel. Meanwhile, Gideon’s brother, along with his wife and two children, are among those still waiting to be allowed to make aliyah (immigration),” a message issued by Shavei Israel, according to PTI news agency.
“We must help Gideon’s family and honour his memory in the best way possible: for the Israeli government to bring all the remaining Bnei Menashe to Israel,” it further said.
The organisation believes that every one of the 5,000 Bnei Menashe in India who desires to make aliyah should be granted the opportunity as soon as possible. They called upon people to join them in their efforts to assist Gideon’s family and bring his remaining relatives to Israel.
The primary objective of Shavei Israel is to reach out to “lost and hidden” Jews worldwide and assist them in reconnecting with the people and the State of Israel. The organisation stressed the importance of helping the deceased soldier’s family remaining in India to immigrate, stating, “We owe him that much.”
Hanghal, who immigrated to Israel from Manipur in 2020, was a resident of Nof HaGalil and served in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion. His funeral drew a large crowd, and the community expressed shock at the loss of such a young life. Approximately 300 Bnei Menashe youngsters are currently serving in the Israeli army, with most of them in combat units.
The Bnei Menashe, originating from the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, are believed to be descendants of the Israelite tribe of Menasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of ancient times.
In 2005, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar recognised them as descendants of Menasseh, opening the door for their immigration to Israel as members of a “lost tribe”. To date, around 5,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community have immigrated to Israel, with nearly 1,500 arriving in the past five years. An additional 5,500 still reside in India, awaiting the opportunity to immigrate.
Nof HaGalil Mayor Ronen Plot expressed his condolences, stating, “The city of Nof HaGalil mourns and grieves the loss of Staff Sgt Hanghal. Gideon was a member of the Bnei Menashe community, which is very dear to my heart-good, humble and patriotic people.”
According to Israeli security sources, the suspect in the ramming attack was identified as 58-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah from the central West Bank town of Rafat. Video footage from the scene showed a truck with Palestinian license plates veering off a busy highway and crashing at full speed into an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) guard post adjacent to a bus stop before coming to a halt.

JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces stormed into a town in the north of the West Bank on Tuesday, leading to fighting that killed a 17-year-old Palestinian, according to Palestinian health officials, the latest violence to grip the occupied territory. The Israeli military conducted an arrest raid before dawn in the town of Zababdeh south of Jenin, local medics said.The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 17-year-old Othman Abu Kharj was fatally shot in the head.
The raid came as Israeli security forces were still searching for the Palestinian gunman who carried out a shooting in the northern Palestinian city of Hawara that killed an Israeli father and son on Saturday.
The Israeli military said its forces arrested 15 Palestinian suspects in several northern West Bank towns. In Zababdeh, Israeli security forces said they opened fire at residents who threw explosive devices at them.
In the southern West Bank, the Israeli army captured two Palestinians who were suspected in a shooting the day before that killed an Israeli woman and seriously wounded a man.
The Israeli military said the two suspects confessed during interrogation to involvement in the attack near the Palestinian city of Hebron.
Israeli security forces said they also confiscated the rifle used to shoot at the car on Monday. A car without a license plate that was allegedly used to carry out the attack was found burned north of Hebron, said mayor of the town of Halhoul.
Palestinian media identified the two suspects arrested near Hebron as Saqer and Muhamad al-Shantir.
The Israeli military said that its forces further conducted large-scale searches and arrest raids throughout the West Bank, interrogating 20 Palestinians, confiscating illegal vehicles and arresting an additional 13 suspects near Hebron.
Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of this year, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone throwing youths protesting the incursions and those not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.
Some 30 people have been killed by Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that time.
Israel says the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. Palestinians say the raids undermine their security forces, inspire more militancy and entrench Israeli control over lands they seek for a hoped-for future state. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.