[5] The university president, Moshe Kaveh, even wrote to the family expressing hope that Regev would return to Israel and commence his law studies as planned.

[6] On the morning of July 12, 2006, at 09:05, Hezbollah initiated a rocket attack on northern Israeli communities using Katyusha and mortar shells as a diversionary tactic.

The second vehicle sustained a direct hit by an anti-tank guided missile, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers – Eyal Benin,[7] Shani Turgeman,[8] and Wassim Salach Nazal.

[9] Immediately afterward, another Hezbollah squad breached the security fence, entered Israeli territory, and abducted two reserve soldiers from the IDF's 5th Division, Regev and Staff Sergeant Ehud Goldwasser, who were most probably murdered during the attack or were severely injured and succumbed shortly after.

The squad withdrew with the soldiers into Lebanese territory, where a vehicle was waiting near the fence to swiftly transfer them to a hiding place in the village of Ayta ash-Sha'b.

[10] The incident occurred in the Wadi Naim area and was not immediately detected by the IDF positions, so it took about 45 minutes to discover the abduction and declare the Hannibal Directive in response.

The deal led to the release of Samir Kuntar, four additional prisoners, and about 199 bodies of Hezbollah members that were temporarily buried in Israel.

On July 17, 2008, one day after the completion of the exchange, the bodies of the soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev[16] were brought for burial.

As part of the Israel Defense Forces' project called "Soon It Will Turn into a Song" from 2009, the music was composed by Doron Medalie, and Eyal Golan volunteered to perform it.