Pedaya was born on י"ח ניסן התשס"א, חול המועד פסח, 11.4.2001, in Hadassah Hospital and grew up in Otniel. As a child he loved playing imaginative "war" games with his siblings, with Playmobil or other action figures. He also loved drawing. This he continued as he grew up. He also liked carving little shapes and figures out of wood. Pedaya was also good at sports, and ran and practiced a lot to keep in shape, especially to prepare for army service. He also learned 'Capoeira' and was very good at it.
When he was fifteen years old, he was in the car with his parents and sister on the way to Jerusalem, when they were attacked by terrorists, who shot at the car. His father was murdered, his mother badly injured, and his sister was injured from a bullet too. He was lightly injured, but it was a very traumatic event for him. During the next few years, he struggled to continue studying in high school. Every single day was a brave step forward in life. He was very determined to become a soldier and officer in the IDF. That was his childhood dream, that strengthened after the terror attack he experienced.
In the army, following his older brother Shlomi, z"l, he was accepted into Dsayeret Givati and then went through Officers Training and became a Platoon Leader in the צבר unit of Giv'ati. With his soldiers he was called up on simchat Torah, fought in Kfar Aza, and then prepared with them until they entered the Gaza Strip leading the whole brigade. He and ten of his soldiers were killed on ט"ז חשוון when a missile hit their armored vehicle.
Pedaya had many dreams for his life - getting married of course, raising a family, and living in Otniel. He was planning to study education, and become a teacher. He is survived by his mother, and 8 siblings. יהי זכרו ברוך
** The information on this page is part of the 'Yizkor' commemoration project by the Ministry of Defense / the 'La'ad' website by the National Insurance Institute, in memory of the fallen. We strive for accuracy and apologize for any errors. For corrections or comments, please contact us here: https://aaciremembers.org/contact-us/ ***
