Thousands gathered Tuesday at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul military cemetery to bid farewell to Col. Asaf Hamami, the highest-ranking IDF officer abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7 and the first to declare “war” over military radio that morning. His body was returned to Israel two days ago after being held by Hamas for nearly two years.
At his funeral, Hamami’s father, Ilan, revealed that his son had left behind what he called a “will” during his early service as an officer. “If I’m ever taken captive—I won’t enter alive. And one more thing: don’t make deals for me,” he said. “We fulfilled that request only partially, because you weren’t taken alone. But your mother, brother, and I held firm to your principles.”
His widow, Sapir, wept as she said, “You’re home. I can’t believe I’m saying that. I wanted a different ending, but at least you’re here now. In those first days, I called Karnit Goldwasser, who fought to bring her husband home, and she told me, ‘You’ll succeed, Sapir—you’ll bring Asaf home.’ That sentence stayed with me.” She vowed to continue supporting the families of the eight remaining hostages held in Gaza: “We will bring them all home—there’s no other option.”
His mother, Clara, tearfully said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t hold you in your last moments. You returned home wrapped in the Israeli flag, surrounded by love. You were light, soul, and endless love. But eight hostages remain. We must bring them back now.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and former chief Herzi Halevi attended, along with senior commanders, former chiefs of staff, and President Isaac Herzog. Zamir eulogized Hamami as “the first to understand the magnitude of the attack and act. You embodied the spirit of Israeli command—leading from the front without fear.”
He recalled Hamami’s voice on the morning of Oct. 7: “We’re at war. Call up the alert squads, special units—we’re at war.” Zamir added, “You taught the enemy it would never feel victory again. We’ll carry your commandment—to be good, to be Hamami—forever.”
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Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and former IDF chiefs, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot
(Photo: Reuters/Nir Elias)
President Herzog said Hamami represented “a generation of courageous commanders—humble, moral, and selfless.” He revealed that in recent days he had received a clemency request for a soldier that included a recommendation from Hamami himself, written before his abduction: “With deep empathy, he urged giving his subordinate a second chance.”
Hamami began his IDF service in the Givati Brigade in 2001 and rose through the ranks, earning the Chief of Staff’s Medal of Excellence in 2010. He later commanded the Sabra Battalion, the Commando Brigade’s training base, and the Negev Brigade. In May 2022, he was appointed commander of the Gaza Division’s southern brigade.
He was killed in combat during the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and taken into Gaza. Alongside Hamami, Capt. Omer Nauta and Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel were also returned to Israel for burial.
As thousands saluted his coffin draped in the Israeli flag, his family’s words captured the nation’s grief: “You came home, our hero. The victory you fought for lives on.”