Netanel Ayala

Netanel Ayala, also known as Nati, lived in Ofra and was a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade. The national memorial page records him as the son of Biyush and Biyadgelin, a nineteen-year-old sergeant. His mother Biyush was known in the Ofra community and the Binyamin Regional Council through her years of work in the settlement's daycare centers. His sister Rachel worked at the council's call center. Council head Israel Gantz described the family as a longstanding and beloved part of the community and shared the grief of those who knew them upon learning of Nati's death.

In early May 2026, Nati went on leave from his service in Lebanon. During the night between Saturday and Sunday, 3 May, he was riding a motorcycle on Route 60, near the Luban al-Sharqiya junction in Samaria. The motorcycle collided with a private car whose driver fled the scene on foot. A police check found that the car had been stolen from the Tel Aviv area several days earlier. The medical teams who arrived tried to save Nati's life but were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

Upon receiving the news, members of the settlement and the council joined the family's mourning. In his remarks, Israel Gantz recalled Nati as a combat soldier on leave, his mother's work and his sister's part in the council's life. He described the loss as the grief of an entire community and expressed support for the family and friends. The accident investigation continued alongside the search for the driver, and on 15 May it was reported that the suspected driver had been arrested in a joint operation by IDF and police forces. Reports of the arrest explicitly linked him to the accident in which Nati was killed.

Sergeant Netanel Ayala died on 16 Iyar 5786, 3 May 2026. He was laid to rest in the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. His full name and nickname, Nati, were recorded on the Izkor page alongside his parents' names, his affiliation with Nahal and his age. The farewell words of the head of the Binyamin Regional Council document the mourning for his loss and the connection between his family and the Ofra community. May his memory be a blessing.