Captain Roy Miller, aged 21 from Herzliya, and Platoon Commander in the Rotem Battalion of the Givati Brigade fell in combat in the northeastern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Thursday morning. 

In the same incident, an additional soldier and officer from the Givati Brigade were severely wounded and evacuated for medical treatment. 

Roy's mother, Ariela, dedicated a heartfelt goodbye to her son.

"Dear and beloved people, I inform you with sadness that my beloved and dear son Roy gave his soul to the world's Creator. Roy sheli, my hero, chose a command route; Roy was a commander in the Rotem Company in the Givati Brigade. The company's soldiers are from religious houses; they entered Gaza singing the song 'I believe.' his soldiers, like most of the fighters, both religious and secular, wear patches of the Temple and the Messiah, thus putting the Holy Spirit to the impure Gaza and purifying it."

The mother added: "We are now as a nation on a journey to leave the straits, just as it was possible to enter the Land of Israel by leaving Egypt in 11 days, and the journey took 40 years, so is our journey in the malicious little satanic strip. This is a campaign managed only by the Creator of the world for us to unite within ourselves. We will be in a mutual bond with each other, and we will strengthen our faith in the Creator of the world, who has no other.

IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, July 2, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, July 2, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
"Orthodox, secular, religious, we here share together the land of Israel, land that belongs to us as part of the Promised Land, and Gaza is an inseparable part of it. We are not a conquering nation; we are returning home and returning to our origins in every sense. We are a spiritually strong nation and a light to the Gentiles because we chose to be Yes, which is a task we must fulfill. We must learn from the pure soldiers what unity, shared destiny, and strong faith in the world's Creator is.

She closed her remarks: "I am proud of my kind-hearted and well-rounded son Roy, who excelled in everything. I am proud of his fighting spirit in his choices and of the concern he showed for his soldiers and others. My private soldier of redemption, I called him, and he smiled his charming smile. I won 22 amazing years in less than a week Hashem has taken. May the name of God be blessed. In times of redemption, God is in control. I am proud of you.

Herzilya municipality shares funeral information for fallen resident

The city of Herzilya posted a dedication to Miller on its Facebook page, sharing details of his funeral procession.

Captain Roy Miller will be laid to rest on Thursday afternoon at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery.