Brother of the late Ilay, who fell on October 7, drafted into the Paratroopers: 'Ilay did his part - now it's my turn'
Liam Aaron Gamzo continues the path of his brother, Staff Sergeant Ilay Gamzo, who fell in battle. His parents signed for his service in the infantry after he requested, 'Do not stop my life.' Among the new recruits to the brigade is also a lone soldier who immigrated specifically from Australia. 'Welcome to the IDF' series of reports.
The draft to the IDF continues. As part of the 'Welcome to the IDF' series of reports, we met the recruits to the Paratroopers Brigade. Among them was Liam Aaron Gamzo, brother of Staff Sergeant Ilay Gamzo, who fell on October 7. Liam Aaron decided to continue his brother's path and integrate as a fighter in the Paratroopers, emphasizing his desire to contribute to the country.
'Ilay did his part for the country and now it is my turn,' said Liam.
Liam added: 'I am not "the brother of," I am going to be a fighter and protect my country. I will be a soldier like everyone else, I will not be in the status of "brother of an Israeli hero." He did his part and now it is my turn to contribute to the country.'
'Welcome to the IDF' series of reports:
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The draft to the Navy: click here.
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The draft to the Armored Corps: click here.
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Female recruits to combat and artillery: click here.
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The Combat Engineering Corps: click here.
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The draft to the Givati Brigade and the Artillery Corps: click here.
Shmuel, Liam's father, spoke about the decision to sign his son's authorization for service in a combat unit: 'When we made the decision to sign that he wants to go to the infantry, we said, it is impossible to stop his life. I was with him last week abroad, and he said to me, "Do not stop my life." My goal was to try to convince him, and you understand that the child is into it.'
Alongside Liam, other young people were drafted into the brigade, including Harry Newat, a 20-year-old lone soldier who immigrated from Australia about eight months ago. 'The antisemitism in Australia is just crazy and I wanted to do something and have more meaning,' said Newat. 'I decided to draft into the Paratroopers and do everything for this country. The Paratroopers are the best unit in the whole world.'
Another recruit to the brigade is Raz Goshen, who continues a long family tradition of service in the unit: 'Father, grandfather, most of the family were in the Paratroopers. I am coming to continue the path, as they say.'
