Eitan Fund Appointed Bislach Reconnaissance Commander

Lt. Col. Eitan Fund has been appointed commander of the Bislach Reconnaissance Battalion, twelve years after his actions in Operation Protective Edge made him one of Israel’s best-known battlefield heroes.

Fund will replace Sgt. First Class Itamar Eitam, who commanded the battalion during the last phase of the war.

Heroes Of Israel

The appointment also brings the story of Hadar Goldin back into national memory.

Goldin was an IDF officer in the Givati Brigade and only 23 years old when he was killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Hamas terrorists attacked his force in Rafah shortly after a ceasefire had gone into effect, then dragged his body into a tunnel.

For more than 11 years, Hamas held Goldin’s body captive in Gaza. His remains were finally returned to Israel in November 2025, after 4,118 days.

For Israel, Goldin’s death became more than one battlefield tragedy. It became a symbol of Hamas’s brutality, its abuse of ceasefires, and the pain carried by families whose loved ones are held by terrorist organizations.

Fund’s attempt to reach Goldin inside the tunnel became a lasting example of loyalty under fire. He ran toward danger because a fellow soldier had been taken.

Twelve years later, Fund’s new command closes no wound. However, it does show how Israel carries memory forward through service, leadership, and the refusal to forget its fallen.

A Command Position

According to the statement, “Sgt. First Class (Res.) Eitan Fund was destined for a great command position.”

His appointment reflects not only personal courage, but the IDF’s deep memory of sacrifice, command responsibility, and battlefield brotherhood.

For Israeli society, stories like Fund’s carry weight beyond military promotion. They represent the kind of leadership shaped by combat, loss, and the duty to protect the people of Israel.

Memory And Responsibility

The appointment also brings the story of Hadar Goldin back into national memory.

Goldin’s kidnapping by Hamas remains one of the most painful symbols of Operation Protective Edge. Fund’s attempt to reach him inside the tunnel became a lasting example of loyalty under fire.

Twelve years later, Fund’s new command closes no wound. However, it does show how Israel carries memory forward through service, leadership, and the refusal to forget its fallen.