Funeral Arrangements Underway For IDF Soldier From Woodland Hills

ENCINO (CBSLA.com) — The parents of a 24-year-old Woodland Hills native who died while fighting with the Israeli Defense Forces departed for Israel Monday to make arrangements for their son's funeral.

KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports Max Steinberg died Sunday while serving as a volunteer with the IDF's Golani Brigade and taking part in ground operations in Gaza.

Encino residents Stuart and Evelyn Steinberg were expected to make the trip after they honored their son with a candlelight vigil Sunday night in West Hills.

Steinberg, a graduate of El Camino Real High School and onetime student at Pierce College, was one of 13 members of the Golani Brigade killed in fighting with Hamas.

The soldiers were killed in three separate incidents that spanned more than eight hours in the Gaza Strip, authorities said.

Steinberg's brother Jake said Max was deeply affected by a trip he took with the family to Israel in 2012, and that led him to volunteer.

"At this point in his life, his goals were to defend Israel," he said. "He was a very dedicated, motivated person...when he set his mind on something, he did it and went all-in."

According to IDF officials, 140 rockets were fired into Israel from the densely populated Shejaiya district, and that 10 tunnels leading to Israel have been discovered there, the Jewish Journal reported.

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