Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Kali, 24, had barely finished his mandatory military service before returning to uniform as a reservist. On Thursday, he was killed alongside fellow reservist Master Sgt. (res.) Ofek Moalem in an accidental drone explosion at an IDF post in northern Gaza.
Kali, from the small community of Har Halutz in northern Israel, completed his regular military service in 2024 and went almost immediately into reserve duty amid the war.
He and Moalem, 23, were serving with the 7007th Battalion when the accident occurred. According to the military’s initial investigation, the two soldiers approached a drone that had malfunctioned and crashed inside their post. The drone then exploded, fatally wounding them.
The military is investigating the circumstances of the incident and suspended use of the same drone model for two days while the investigation is underway.
For Har Halutz, Kali’s death marked the second time since the war began that the close-knit community has lost one of its young soldiers in Gaza. Staff Sgt. Itay Saadon, Kali’s former classmate, was killed fighting in the Gaza Strip in November 2023. Saadon’s family lived directly across from Kali’s parents.
Kali is survived by his parents, Yoav and Dr. Yael Kali, his older brothers Roi and Itamar and his longtime partner, Rotem, whom he had been dating since they were teenagers.
Staff Sgt. Itay Saadon
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Friends mourning Kali on Friday described a young man whose broad smile, loyalty and determination made him a central presence in their group.
“All the way back from my apartment to Har Halutz, I keep thinking about Nadav and seeing his huge smile,” his friend Yoav Sivan Ben Yosef said. “I remember that smile from when we were very young. He was simply a golden person, incredibly sociable.”
He recalled that Kali and Rotem had been together since they were 17 and attended high school with the same circle of friends.
Amit Dagan said Kali occupied a central place not only in his own life but throughout their group of friends.
“Nadav was a central person in our circle and for everyone,” Dagan said. “Besides being a fighter in the army, he was truly a fighter at heart in every sense. He was one of the strongest people I personally knew.”
Dagan said Kali remained steadfast in pursuing what mattered to him regardless of the risks or what others thought.
“He was always true to himself in everything and never strayed for a second from his path or from what he wanted, no matter the risks or what people told him,” he said. “I and everyone else will miss him terribly.”
Friend Ido Marom remembered the long conversations they shared, which could move effortlessly from everyday jokes to much larger questions.
“We would sit for hours, talk about nonsense and end up having conversations about stars and science, and everything just flowed,” Marom said. “He was always with us for all the important decisions in life.”
For Sahar Sarig, Kali’s absence was still difficult to comprehend because his presence remained embedded in the places, relationships and creative projects the friends had shared.
“It’s impossible to grasp that something like this has ended,” Sarig said. “He is still so present and still with us. The home he shared with his partner is still their home, and the things he did are still so present. You can’t separate him from all the things he was part of.”
Music formed an especially important part of their friendship.
“For me, Nadav was more than a true friend. He was such a significant part of my journey in this world, particularly when it came to music,” Sarig said.
The two had played together from elementary school, forming a musical group and later performing a jazz recital together and collaborating on other projects. Sarig said he had recently been working on a project and wanted Kali to play piano on it.
“Despite the reserve duty and all the complications, I wanted him to be part of it, and fortunately we managed to complete a large part of it,” he said. “I can’t believe I won’t create with him anymore. It’s impossible to comprehend.”
The Misgav Regional Council, which includes Har Halutz, issued a statement expressing condolences to Kali’s family.
“The Misgav Regional Council bows its head and shares in the grief of the Kali family upon learning of the death of Master Sgt. (res.) Nadav Kali, a soldier in Battalion 7007 of the 16th Brigade, in the Gaza Strip,” the council said.
Kali was scheduled to be buried Friday at 1 p.m. at the Misgav cemetery.