He was a graduate student at the Technion,[4] the Israeli Institute of Technology, from which he had earlier earned an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering.

[9] A force then attacked two armored IDF Humvees patrolling the border near the Israeli village of Zar'it with anti-tank rockets, and abducted the two soldiers.

II tank was damaged by a 200 kg improvised explosive device, while attempting to give pursuit, killing all four crewmembers.

[12][13] On 19 September 2006, rock band Aerosmith dedicated their hit song "Dream On" to Goldwasser at the request of his wife.

The second vehicle sustained a direct hit from an anti-tank missile, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers: Eyal Benin,[15] Shani Turgeman,[16] and Wasim Salah Nazal.

[17] Shortly after that, another Hezbollah squad breached the border fence, infiltrated Israeli territory, and captured two reserve soldiers from the IDF's Division 5: Eldad Regev and Staff Sergeant Ehud Goldwasser.

The Hezbollah squad withdrew with the soldiers to Lebanese territory, where a vehicle was waiting near the border to swiftly transport them to a hiding place in the village of Ayta ash-Shab.

In response, an IDF tank from the 82nd Battalion and an armored personnel carrier were sent to Lebanon approximately an hour later to locate the captives.

According to the agreement, the convicted murderer Samir Kuntar, 4 additional prisoners, and around 199 bodies of Hezbollah militants that were temporarily buried in Israel were released.