Brother of Fallen Commander Benaia Sarel Named to Lead Golani’s 13th Battalion

An officer identified as Maj. D., the younger brother of fallen Givati commander Benaia Sarel, was selected on Thursday evening to command the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion. The appointment was made during IDF assignment discussions. D. previously commanded the battalion’s leading company; no date for his assumption of command was reported. D. had been a Golani recruit for just 12 days when his brother was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. He missed a telephone call from Benaia on the morning of his death and later opened the family’s door to the military notification officer. About two weeks after the loss, D. returned to training and subsequently progressed into officer training and command. In a 2019 interview, D. recalled that returning to his fellow recruits helped him regain his footing because they treated him as an equal. His selection now places him in command of the battalion in which he previously led a company. Benaia commanded Givati’s reconnaissance company and fell near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on August 1, 2014. The Defense Ministry’s memorial biography records that he was born in Kiryat Arba to Michal and Shalom Sarel, one of eight children. He was engaged to Gali, with their wedding planned for three weeks after his death. He was buried in Hebron and promoted posthumously to major.