Saturday’s coordinated attack by a Hamas cell on a Golani Brigade patrol in southern Gaza could have ended even more disastrously. The terrorists attempted to hurl an explosive device at an armored personnel carrier carrying the unit’s new commander, who had assumed his role just a week earlier.
The battalion commander’s tactical headquarters responded swiftly, repelling the attacker with gunfire and preventing damage to two armored vehicles in Khan Younis. The explosion claimed the lives of Captain Amir Saad, a 22-year-old technology and maintenance officer from Yanuh-Jat, and Sergeant Inon Nuriel Vana, a 20-year-old soldier from Kiryat Tiv’on, both from the Golani Reconnaissance Unit.
Their armored vehicle caught fire after an explosive device was attached to it. Inon’s mother, Nava, shared a heart-wrenching Facebook post shortly after his death was announced. For two days, she had sensed the worst, preparing herself for the unbearable.
“No preparation could soften the blow of the knock at the door,” she wrote. Addressing her son, she expressed regret for not hugging him enough the last time they met, vowing to “climb out of the abyss of grief,” while promising never to relinquish his memory. “I have joined the ranks of bereaved families with profound sorrow.”
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Inon’s sister, Hadas, described him as the best and brightest child, driven by a desire not to leave his comrades or family alone. Yet, she noted, that was exactly what happened. He rarely spoke about the situation in Gaza, likely to spare his family worry.
Amir, too, came from a family of decorated soldiers, with the military deeply ingrained in his identity. His cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Alim Abdallah, deputy commander of the 300th Brigade, was killed in a clash with infiltrators from Lebanon on October 9, 2023, the third day of the war in Gaza.
Amir last spoke with his father at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, reassuring him that all was well. “Just days earlier, on Thursday, he had been promoted to captain, a moment of pride now turned to searing pain,” said his cousin Raed. Amir had not been home in 45 days but pressed on, driven by his love for the army and his ambition to advance.
Another cousin, Mudi Saad, spoke to Ynet, describing Amir as an extraordinary young man—handsome, charming and dedicated. Raised in youth movements and known for volunteering, Amir was a standout. The family celebrated his recent promotion and new role in the reconnaissance unit, but he entered Gaza undeterred by fear, fully committed to his mission.
Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, mourned Amir, calling him another hero lost in a brutal war. The loss of a second officer from the same family and a third soldier from Yanuh-Jat is a cruel blow, he said.
“The Druze community continues to pay a heavy price in this conflict, with its finest youth cut down.” Tarif extended condolences to the Nuriel family, grieving Inon’s loss alongside Amir’s. Their deaths underscore the shared burden of Israel’s communities, a partnership that must extend beyond the battlefield into everyday life. He vowed that Amir and Inon’s memories would endure forever.