Yossi was injured, but returned to battlefield

One of them, Yossi Abitbul, was lightly inured last week in an operation in Lebanon, but insisted to return and serve with his friends in Lebanon. Corporal Tumar Amer, of the village of Julis, returned from his sick leave to fight alongside his friends.

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'Don't worry, people don't die in tanks'

Corporal Yinon Nissan, 19, from Maale Adumim, joined the IDF only nine months ago and served in the armored corps. His father's sister told Ynet: "Last Wednesday he spoke with his parents for the last time…he always said 'don't worry, people don't die in tanks.' Yet as it turns out everyone is killed in tanks."

"He never knew how to say no," she added. "He always took care of everyone…he was an amazing guy, smart, always gave, always volunteered and helped out." Nissan is survived by his parents, Shula and Moshe, and four siblings.

Evicted from Netzarim - died in Lebanon

Staff Sergeant Ami (Amasa) Mesholemi, 20, from Ofra, was evicted last year from Netzarim. "His wife, Yonat, is pregnant and expecting their first child," said his father, Yehoshua, in sadness. Ami and his parents, Yehoshua and Rachel, were evicted from Netzarim and moved to the community of Yuval, in the Negev, with a number of other Netzarim residents. He leaves behind 16 siblings (he was the twelfth child among eight boys and nine girls). the Mesholemi family was well-known in Gush Katif. One of his brothers was a fighter pilot. "The was a deeply-rooted family, who loved Israel and Ami was also like this," family members said. His father was a farmer and his mother ran a school for the many Netzarim evictees in Yuval.

In 2005, some half of the former Netzarim residents arrived in the area post-eviction. In Yuval, they reestablished the yeshiva and midrasha formerly in Netzarim. Ami studied in the Mizpeh Ramon yeshiva and was a signaler in the tank of the armored company commander, who was also killed in the same incident. During his service, he and Yonit decided to marry and live in Ofra. His father recalls, "Ami loved Israel and had plans to settle the land. When we spoke to him about the current conflict, he didn't express fear of death or injury and said that he was ready for this fight. We raised our son with these values, the value of settlements and the holiness of the land."

Yossi injured, returns to Lebanon

Sergeant Yosii Abitbul, 20, was born in Beit Shean. About five years ago he moved with his family to live at the community of Gan Ner at the foot of Mount Gilboa.

About a week ago, he was lightly injured in Lebanon and was hospitalized at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, but he quickly chose to return to his friends at the unit.

"He wanted to return to his friends who were fighting in Lebanon as soon as possible. Yossi served in the army for two years and only wanted to contribute to the State, this is what he wanted and this is what he thought should be done. He was satisfied with the military service. He has good friends there. His parents knew that he was in Lebanon and were very worried about him," his uncle said.

Born on second day of Lebanon War

On Friday night, just minutes before entering his tank, Armored Corps officer Shai Bernshtein called his mother's house in Beer Sheva. "Calm mom down, tell her I'm doing fine," he asked his brother, Guy. On Saturday the family was informed of his death.

Shai was born on the second day of the Lebanon War. He excelled in his different roles in the army, and in his last post was an operational company commander of a tank company, and was devoted to his troops.

Shai, the youngest child in his family, is survived by his parents – Ela and Shimon, and three siblings – Michael, 36, Revital, 33, and Guy, 23.

Returns from sick leave to fight alongside friends

"Tomer was on sick leave, and when he heard that soldiers from his unit were being hurt, he went back to fight with them," said Nashib Amer, the cousin of Corporal Tumar Amer, an Egoz soldier who was killed in Lebanon.

The cousin added that Tumar, a resident of the Druze village of Julis in the Western Galilee, was a handsome boy, unusually active, strong and brave.

"He was known in the village as one who loves to ride horses," the cousin said.

Killed on his father's birthday

"I didn't know I was going to get such a birthday present," said Roni, the father of Sergeant Yaniv Temerson, 20, of Tzipori, who was killed in the battles in southern Lebanon.

On Saturday, before entering Lebanon, Yaniv called his father to congratulate him on his 47th birthday.

"We spoke every day, but yesterday after the conversation I had a bad feeling. Yaniv told me they were going into Lebanon. I told him, 'take care of yourself, return safely,' but it didn’t happen," the father said.

'Many beautiful girls will attend my funeral'

Sergeant Itai Steinberger was supposed to be released from his IDF service in about three months. After this release he planned to go on a long trip to India.

"There I will walk for half a year without shoes," he told his young brother Yehonatan.

As a person who loved life, Itai was not afraid to tell his commander last week, "my funeral will be attended by many beautiful girls."

When his friends at home asked him what he missed, he cynically answered "Whiskey and cigarettes."

Asks his mother to buy warlike computer game

"Yaar's last request was that I buy him a warlike computer game. 'When I come home, I will have something to play with,' he told me in our last conversation while he was in Lebanon," said Ira, the mother of Nahal fighter Corporal Yaar Ben Giat, of Kibbutz Nahsholim, who was killed in Lebanon.

Yaar, 19, was Ira and Yossi's firstborn. She said that her son was a gifted and highly intelligent child.

Grandmother wanted him to be a doctor

"I always wanted a groom just like him, who will be funny, beautiful, smart and sharp," Romi, the sister of Nahal fighter First Sergeant Tzachi Krispas, who was killed in southern Lebanon, told Ynet.

His sister Sari said that her brother called home for the last time on Wednesday and told them that he was resting and that Vice Premier Shimon Peres came to visit them.

"He was a strong person who conveyed it. He was very funny and a successful mimic. Grandmother always wanted him to be a doctor, and in the army he also served as a paramedic," she said.

The salt of the earth

Yehezkel Aharon, 32, of Kfar Yedidia, was killed Friday in exchanges of fire in the village of Rashef in the central region of southern Lebanon, during his reserve service. His friends said that "he embodied the expression 'the salt of the earth.'"

Uri, Yehezkel's friend since their military service, said that the recent period was a flourishing period in Yehezkel's life, after he experienced a crisis in his personal life about a year ago.

"In recent months he overcame it, with his willpower and his love of life. He had a new romance and was just blossoming. It was a very significant period in his life," he said.

Raanan Ben-Zur, Avi Cohen, Eli Senyor, Eran Navon and Goel Beno contrinuted to the report