The late Dvir Sorek. Photo: Courtesy.

The father of the Israeli yeshiva student Dvir Sorek — who was murdered on Wednesday night in a terrorist attack — fought back tears on Thursday as he told reporters, “We received a gift for almost 19 years.”

Dvir Sorek, a resident of Ofra, was found stabbed to death near the Migdal Oz community in the Gush Etzion in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Israeli security forces believe Sorek was the victim of a terror attack and a manhunt is underway in the area.

The Israeli news site Walla quoted Dvir’s father, Yoav, as saying, “Terrorist attacks accompany us all, all of Israeli society. It is part of the reality of life and the long struggle for the life we ​​lead here.”

“Our Dvir, those who did not know him lost out,” Yoav Sorek continued, saying his son reached out to “the weak” and the less fortunate.

Yoav also emphasized his son’s gentle nature, saying, “Two months ago, he was tested in karate and he did not get high marks because the teacher said he was doing the moves great, but he did not have murder in his eyes,”

“He just had light in his eyes and someone who had murder in his eyes took it,” he said.

“We received a gift for almost 19 years,” Yoav stated, noting that Dvir had a birthday coming up next Tuesday.

“For the gift, we are thankful; and the pain, we will bear,” he concluded.

Dvir’s cousin Benjamin Herling, named for Dvir’s grandfather who was killed in a terror attack in 2000, recalled, “He was the center of their home and would take care of his brothers. I saw from the sidelines that he was a very deep guy and yeshiva study did him a lot of good.”

Another cousin, Tal Neuman, said of Dvir, “He was a child with big, innocent eyes to me. He had an otherworldly innocence. He was above all the friction and quarrels and intrigues.”