Staff Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz earned a distinction for his service in Gaza but “didn’t have time to rest” before being sent to Lebanon, where he was killed in combat, his mother said.
“He received a certificate of excellence from Gaza, but he didn’t get to rest. They took him to Lebanon, and from there he didn’t come back to us,” said his mother, Shadmit. “He protected the people of Israel. The children here know they have a hero brother.”
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The parents and siblings of Staff Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, of blessed memory
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
Lifshiz, 20, served as a fighter in Battalion 13 of the Golani Brigade. His family said he had worked hard to be accepted into the unit and was deeply proud of his service.
“He fought to get into Golani. There was no one happier than him when he got on the bus,” his mother said. “He was always with a smile. Every picture of him is with a smile.”
She described him as someone who was always ready to help others. “He was all goodness. Anyone who needed help knew he would go to the ends of the earth to assist,” she said.
During months of fighting across multiple arenas, she said she barely slept. “We haven’t slept for months. I don’t know what sleep is, because Touvel knew he could call at any hour, and I would answer,” she said. “I waited for the phone to ring, just to hear that he was okay.”
The family last saw him during the Purim holiday. “We had family time together. All the siblings were here. We laughed, we were happy, we hugged. Touvel knew he was loved,” she said.
They were informed of his death on Tuesday evening. “Our lives were turned upside down. We did not expect this. That morning, we were told everything was fine,” she said.
Lifshiz was killed during an exchange of fire in southern Lebanon after troops from Battalion 13 identified several Hezbollah terrorists in the area of operations in the southeast of the country.
Five other soldiers were wounded in the incident, including one officer who was seriously injured.
The forces operating under the 36th Division in the al-Taybeh area are continuing efforts to locate and eliminate the terrorists involved.
After the holiday, dozens of relatives, friends and neighbors gathered at the family home in Beit She’an. Mayor Noam Jumaa said the city had lost “one of its most value-driven sons, raised on love of the country and commitment to the state.”
“We are proud to be his parents and siblings,” the family said.