Ehud Goldwasser

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Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser (image courtesy of the Goldwasser family)

Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser is an Israeli soldier captured in Israel by Hezbollah along with Eldad Regev on 12 July 2006, sparking the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. [2] His rank is Master Sergeant. [3]

On 11 October, Shlomo Goldwasser, father of the captured soldier, said that although the kidnapped soldiers issue "went down from the public's agenda, those who are tasked with releasing the soldiers are working day and night to find a solution."^[1]

Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, stated on 31 October 2006 that indirect talks with Israel on hostage return had begun.^[2]

Hezbollah has refused to state whether Eldad and Ehud are alive. Both soldiers are believed to have been critically wounded during their capture.

1 Biography
2 The raid
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Prior to his capture, Ehud Goldwasser, 31, lived in Nahariya. He worked at Technion, the Israeli Institute of Technology, from which he earned a degree in environmental engineering studies.^[3] As a teenager, Udi lived in South Africa with his parents and two younger brothers. He is married to Karnit. His parents are Shlomo (father) and Mickey (mother).

[edit] The raid

Main article: Zar'it-Shtula incident

According to the United Nations, the fighting began at around 9 AM when Hezbollah launched rockets on Israeli military positions along the Lebanese border, apparently as a diversion.^[4] A force then attacked two armored IDF Humvees patrolling the border near the Israeli village of Zar'it with anti-tank rockets, and captured the two soldiers.

An Israeli Merkava Mk. II tank was damaged by a 200 kg improvised explosive device, while attempting to give pursuit, killing all four crewmembers.^[5]

"Fulfilling its pledge to liberate the Arab prisoners and detainees, the Islamic Resistance... captured two Israeli soldiers (Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev) at the border with occupied Palestine," Hezbollah said in a statement on 14 July 2006.^[6]