MIA soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul delcared deadBody not recovered
July 25, 2014 - The Chief Military Rabbi Brig.-Gen. Raffi Peretz has declared MIA soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul dead on Friday at 2:40pm.
Golani Brigade soldier Shaul, 22, was killed in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, July 20, when Palestinian terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the armored personnel carrier (APC) he was riding in. Six other soldiers were also killed in that incident.
But while the bodies of the other six were identified, Shaul went missing. Hamas claimed to have kidnapped him but so far, the Islamist Movement has yet to provide proof to their claims.
The army said the Chief Military Rabbi considered halacha, medical and other relevant considerations before making the decision.
Head of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, Maj.-Gen. Orna Barbivai, Chief Military Rabbi Peretz and the commander of the 366th Reserve Division arrived at the Shaul family home on Friday afternoon to deliver the news.
The family was told that the halacha dictates Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul is declared a fallen IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown. Due to the fact he was declared a soldier whose place of burial is unknown, there will be no funeral and the family is not obligated to sit shiva, the week-long mourning period.
| 
