AIZAWL, Nov 13: Staff Sergeant Gary Lalhruaikima Zolat, a 21-year-old soldier with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and originally from Mizoram, India, was killed in fighting with Hamas forces in northern Gaza on Monday. Zolat, who served in the 92nd Battalion of the Kfir Brigade, was one of four Israeli soldiers who died in recent clashes, marking him as the first Mizo soldier reported to have lost his life in the ongoing conflict, which erupted following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Born in Kolasib, a town along Mizoram’s Assam border, in 2003, Zolat was the son of Dagan Zohmingthanga Zolat and Madini Zolat. The family migrated to Israel in 2006 under Israel’s Law of Return, having been recognized as members of the Bnei Menashe community, which claims lineage from one of Israel’s lost tribes. Granted Israeli citizenship before leaving India, the Zolat family settled in Afula, Israel. Gary Zolat was the second youngest of four children, with his two elder sisters also serving in the IDF.
Zolat’s death has deeply affected the Mizo community, both in Israel and Mizoram, as tributes and condolences have flooded social media. The Bnei Menashe, a community comprising thousands from Mizoram and Manipur, was officially recognized in 2005 as descendants of one of the lost tribes by Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, leading to many migrating to Israel to fulfill their aspiration of returning to the Promised Land.
The Mizo community and others mourn Zolat’s sacrifice, reflecting on the dedication and commitment he showed as a young soldier far from his ancestral home.
