Zvi Ofer
| Zvi Ofer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Native name | צבי עופר |
| Nickname(s) | Gingi (Red) |
| Born | February 22, 1932 |
| Died | December 20, 1968 (aged 36) Wadi Qelt, West Bank |
| Allegiance |
 Israel
|
| Service/branch | Israel Defense Forces |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Valor |
Zvi Ofer (Hebrew: צבי עופר, 1932–1968) also known as "Tzvika Ofer" or "Zvika Ofer", was an Israeli soldier and the commander of the Israel Defense Forces Haruv Reconnaissance Unit, and recipient of the Israeli Medal of Valor for the 1962 Nuqeib operation in Syria. In 1967, he served as the military commander of Hebron and Nablus.
Ofer's parents moved to British Mandatory Palestine during the Third Aliyah and were among the founders of the settlement Kfar Azar. As a youth, Ofer joined the Haganah. He initially delivered Haganah newspapers to its subscribers, hung pro-Haganah posters in the middle of the night and oiled the guns belonging to the settlement. At sixteen, he left school and joined the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Haganah. He fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and participated in Operation Danny in which the Arab occupied towns of Lod and Ramle fell to Jewish forces. His military talents did not go unnoticed and he was handpicked for officer’s training. In the midst of his training, he learned that his Palmach unit was gearing up for Operation Yoav, an offensive in the Negev region. He left officer’s school to join his unit in time for the offensive. By the end of the war, he attained the rank of sergeant while his classmates had not yet enlisted in the army.
Ofer was married and had four children.
Following the 1948 War of Independence, he returned to civilian life but reenlisted in 1952. He was first assigned to a unit that tracked down Arab guerilla infiltrators. Later, he joined the paratroops and partook in many reprisal operations of the 1950s. During Operation Kadesh, Ofer commanded a paratroop platoon that took part in the Battle for the Mitla Pass. Later, forces under his command took part in the taking of the Sharm el-Sheikh military base, thus clearing the way for Israeli shipping to pass through the Gulf of Aqaba, which had hitherto been blocked by Egyptian cannon.
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