Staff Sergeant (res.) Asaf Kafri, a tank crewman and fourth-generation descendant of Holocaust survivors, was killed in northern Gaza on Thursday by sniper fire—at the very moment his 96-year-old great-grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, was visiting Bergen-Belsen, the concentration camp she survived.
“She said her victory was returning to the camp with her family,” said Kafri’s aunt, Hadas, speaking to Ynetnews.
Magda Baratz, Kafri’s great-grandmother, was invited as the guest of honor at a memorial ceremony at Bergen-Belsen. She traveled there with her grandson Haggai—Asaf’s father—who only learned of his son’s death upon returning to Israel.
“Asaf fell while his great-grandmother and our family were visiting the camp,” Hadas said. “She said going back to the place where she almost died, this time with a family she built in Israel, was her personal triumph.”
Asaf Kafri, the eldest of four brothers—Yoav, Itay, and Idan—was studying engineering at Ariel University. He had graduated from Herzog High School in Beit Hashmonai, attended the Sdot Ayalon elementary school, and was active in the Tzofim youth movement’s Shevet Lahav chapter.
He was killed in the buffer zone of northern Gaza, during an operational mission. Three other soldiers were wounded in the same incident, including two in serious condition—an officer from the elite Yahalom unit and a reservist from Battalion 79.
The incident occurred around 1:45 p.m., when a Hamas cell from Beit Hanoun fired an anti-tank missile and opened sniper fire at IDF troops positioned at Outpost 39, near Outpost 40, where tracker Galeb Nassar was killed days earlier. Kafri was fatally struck by sniper fire. The attackers fled and have not been located.
Just hours before the tragic news reached his family, Asaf had spoken to his partner, Lihi. “He kept going in and out of Gaza,” said his aunt. “Lihi knew he was inside, but told herself that as long as no one came to the door, he must be okay—and then came the knock.”
She described his deep sense of duty: “This was his fourth round of reserve duty. On October 7, he put on his uniform and headed south. He never hesitated. He felt it was his generation’s turn to serve and protect. He always said, ‘It’s our duty to give of ourselves and defend the country.’ He believed he was fighting to bring the hostages home.”
“This Passover, he stayed in Gaza. He was the only one missing from the Seder. We video-called, sent photos and messages, but he was deeply missed. He had a pure heart and lived to do good. We’re shattered.”
Kafri’s funeral will be held Sunday at the cemetery in the Gezer Regional Council. Council head Rotem Yadlin said: “The residents of the Gezer Regional Council stand with the Kafri family and the Beit Hashmonai community in their immense grief. May his memory be a blessing.”