The body of 22-year-old Or Asraf was expected to arrive in Israel for burial on Tuesday, following a strenuous search and rescue effort in the Langtang Nature Park in Nepal led by his comrades from the elite Egoz reconnaissance unit. Asraf was the last Israeli unaccounted for following the quake on April 25. His body was found on Sunday, eight days after the quake, and was later flown to Kathmandu in a helicopter provided by the Isralife Foundation, one of the groups assisting in Nepal. He was apparently killed in a massive rock slide. Asraf's girlfriend, Amit Greenberg, shared on Facebook a text exchange they had before the earthquake struck. He sent her a photo in which he is pictured smiling on a snowy mountaintop. "This is the best place for me," he wrote. "Up in the mountains-" Greenberg responded. "That too, in Nepal in general ... I'm in love with this country," he answered. Inbal Strul, a friend of Asraf's who saw him in Nepal the day before the earthquake, wrote on her Facebook page: "My Osri [a nickname for Asraf], a dear friend, a brother, my hands are shaking, my eyes are filled with tears and my heart simply does not believe it. "Every time that we met up while traveling, I was so happy to see you, a brother out east. You are a rare and amazing person. The thought that we met the day before you left on the trek will likely follow me for the rest of my life. I will never forget your laugh or conversations with you as long as I live. I have chills looking at the last picture of us. ... I am sure that you are keeping us safe from above, because that is just the way you are. I love you, Osri." Rabbi Nehemiah Wilhelm of Bangkok's Chabad-Lubavitch said Asraf had visited Thailand earlier this year. "He came here on Purim, he danced and laughed with all of us," Wilhelm said. He added that he was devastated to receive the news of Asraf's death. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also offered his condolences to Asraf's loved ones, and praised his friends for their search effort. Meanwhile, the Israeli field hospital in Nepal has treated 718 patients, and has performed five cesarean sections and two regular deliveries. IDF Homefront Command head Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick and Brig. Gen. Dr. Dudu Dagan of the IDF Medical Corps have arrived in Nepal and are set to meet with the Nepali prime minister.
