Five heroes' funerals in just seven hours: On Sunday, five of the soldiers killed over the weekend in southern Lebanon were laid to rest: Sgt. Maj. Liav Kababia, 20; Sgt. Maj. Yoav Klein, 21; and Sgt. Maj. Nave Habshoosh,20, who were killed in the tank disaster near the village of Tebnine; Staff Sgt. Maj. Alexander Filin, 29, who was killed by an explosive device in the village of al-Taybe; and Staff Sgt. Maj. Nir Ben Ari, 21, who was killed by Hezbollah rocket fire and explosive drones.
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5 fallen soldiers and 5 funerals: Yoav Klein, Alexander Filin, Nir Ben Ari, Liav Kababaia, Neve Habshoosh
(Photos: IDF Spokesperson's Unit; courtesy of family)
The armored corps soldiers Kababia, Klein and Habshoosh were killed in the severe incident overnight between Thursday and Friday, along with battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon. The incident occurred about 20 minutes after midnight, when a “suspicious target” struck a tank belonging to Battalion 52, operating under the command of the Givati Brigade combat team. The possibility of an accident or malfunction has been ruled out, and it was determined that this was an external strike on the tank — either an explosive drone or an anti-tank missile. Ben Ari, a commando fighter in the Maglan unit, was killed by Hezbollah rocket fire near Tebnine, in the area of the Taha ridge. Filin, a fighter in the command post of Division 36, was killed by an explosive device in the area of the village of al-Taybe.
Liav's cousin enlisted because of him; his commander came in a wheelchair
About 1,000 people gathered at 5:00 p.m. at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba to pay their final respects to Liav Kababia, who was killed in the tank disaster. Government representatives included Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, both residents of his hometown.
Liav’s coffin arrived at the cemetery after a long procession that began at his home in Hod Hasharon and wound through the streets of Kfar Saba. Behind it walked his father and mother, Dudi and Michal, and his younger siblings Alona and Guy, all wrapped in Israeli flags. Alongside them walked his friends from school and the army, dressed in black shirts. Before the eulogies, singer Aviv Geffen performed his song “Moonlight,” and at the end embraced the family members.
Former deputy commander of the 401st Brigade, Lt. Col. Eliezer Abramovich, represented the IDF at the funeral and eulogized Liav, saying he was an outstanding and brave fighter. “You were a professional, with an extraordinary work ethic, doing everything with humility and a smile on your face,” he said. “You were the first to volunteer even in the hardest moments, a true friend to your comrades. Everyone who met you says that, as your name suggests, you had a big heart. Liav, thank you for your actions and for the person you were. I salute you.”
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Liav. was 'first to volunteer even in difficult times'
(Photo: Hod Hasharon spokesperson)
Lt. Col. A., the former battalion commander, arrived in a wheelchair after being wounded in combat. “I am proud of you, heroic fighter. Two and a half months ago you were among those who saved my life in Bint Jbeil, and today I am here above your grave and cannot believe it. You were like a little brother to me. Rest in peace, hero of Israel,” he eulogized painfully.
Yonatan and Aviv, Liav’s close friends, eulogized him together and spoke about the strong friendship they had built in the few years they knew him: “Kababi had all kinds of nicknames, which shows how much people loved him. You always knew how to say the right thing at the right time — it shows how wise you were. Your smile was the widest we have ever seen; when you laughed, you laughed until you cried. We learned from you and we love you so much, we wish we could tell you that one last time. A week and a half ago we were texting, and now we are eulogizing you. Every ride with Kababi brought good energy. He touched so many people — you were the model of excellence, with humility and a huge smile, and for that we admire you.”
His partner Choshen eulogized him through tears, saying: “You were my first love, and my best friend for a year and a half. You knew everything about me, and I tried to know everything about you. I admire the person you were. You were a gentleman to me, you made sure I had everything. A big part of me was formed by your presence. I learned from you to take everything chill; I admired how calm you were.”
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Former battalion commander who was injured in Lebanon eulogizes: 'You were among those who saved me'
(Photo: Ido Erez)
Ziv, his cousin who enlisted almost on the same day as him, eulogized him and said that on Thursday he was stationed close to him and heard over the radio from the battalion commander that there had been an incident. “In the morning I called my parents to tell them I was okay, and my world collapsed. I was in the closest place to you in that terrible moment. You were such an important part of my life. When you told me there was no chance you wouldn’t enlist in combat, I understood there was no chance I wouldn’t enlist in combat either. You will always be a role model and inspiration for me.”
His sister Alona said in her eulogy: “How do you come back inside a coffin? I admired you and worried about you, and suddenly there was a knock on the door. I loved you and, like you, I wanted to go to combat. How can it be that you won’t be here to give me life advice? I am grateful for every minute we had, sorry if you felt it wasn’t enough. We will be there for Choshen, I will take care of Mom and Dad, and you will watch over us from above, and from time to time you will signal to us that you are still here. Rest in peace, I know you will have fun up there with Grandpa and Grandma. I love you and miss you, and I wish we had more time.”
His mother Michal told Liav how many people came to accompany him, and said: “You loved your service in the corps, your friends from the tank. You were very much loved, Choshen, and Choshen, I am happy you are part of our family. I ask you all — everyone who came — stay positive, see others, be like Liav.”
His father Dudi said that in a normal world a father does not eulogize his son. “Apparently we are not in a normal world,” he said, and spoke about his son’s relationship with his siblings: “You took life lightly and always said everything is fine, even when it wasn’t. In recent times we created every opportunity to be together as a family, like driving to the Golan Heights or to Eilat. A year and a half ago you brought Choshen into our lives — you were lucky to be loved and to love.”
He added: “Out of a desire to protect us, you did not share everything. We understand that a generation of heroes has grown here that says ‘we will enlist even if it means we fall for the homeland.’” The father ended his words by saluting his son’s grave, and then the song so closely associated with Liav, “Everything Will Be Fine” by the group Shotei HaNevua, was played.
Nave’s mother said she is pregnant at 46: 'Maybe this is the gift you left me'
About an hour after Kababia’s funeral began, hundreds arrived at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl to accompany Nave Habshoosh, his tank crew comrade, on his final journey. Habshoosh was from the settlement of Geva Binyamin and is survived by his parents and two sisters.
His mother Einav eulogized him and revealed that she is pregnant. “It was a complete surprise, we didn’t understand how at 46 I would carry this pregnancy. We wondered what God wants from us," she said. "And since the officers knocked on the door and delivered the news, in the great darkness that fell on our lives, I am carrying new life inside me. When I lost my beloved child, my only son, there is within me a pulse of life that forces me to wake up in the morning and continue living.”
“This pregnancy is not easy for me," she added. "It began in difficulty and continued in days when my heart shattered into pieces. But I promise you, Nave, that I will guard it with all my strength. Maybe because I do not have the strength to lose another child, and maybe because it is the small gift you left me. Since Thursday morning I have had strong pains like contractions, as if my body felt and prepared itself for parting from you.”
“My beloved child, at your bar mitzvah I began with the words ‘For this boy I prayed.’ How I waited for you, how I loved you, how I prayed for you,” she eulogized. “I stand here as a mother today and cannot believe it. You were a sensitive boy with a huge heart. You had good qualities that are not learned from books — they were simply part of you. I was blessed to see, every day, the great soul you had.”
“I ask you today for one last mother’s request — send me strength, help me get up in the morning even on days I do not want to. Help me be the mother that Noam and Nasia need now. Help me raise them with joy and faith, even when my heart feels like it is breaking with you. And when your little sister is born, ask for mercy for her from above, watch over her, protect her, help me be a good mother for her too.”
Father, Chaim, added: “My dear son, your last message was written on Thursday at 11:15 p.m. You asked: ‘How are you Dad. There is a chance for leave next Sunday, but don’t tell Mom so she won’t be disappointed if I don’t get out in the end.’ About an hour later, the worst happened. You ascended to heaven together with the tank crew of Battalion 52. You so wanted to be meaningful and take part in the fighting.”
“The only son in the family, you were my partner in countless trips across the country. You were raised with love for the land, you loved it deeply and paid the highest price so that we may continue to walk its length and breadth. You were an angel sent to us for far too short a time. Quiet, shy, humble, speaking little and doing much. Always seeing the other, always thinking of those around you before yourself. The last to turn off the light. That is how it was in the tank too — you were the last one left; everyone else was identified before you, and we had to wait for you until this morning.”
The father said he tried calling his son several times: “You did not answer, but your WhatsApp status remained the same: ‘Don’t cry that it’s over, smile that it happened.’ Nave did not fall in vain, but so that we may continue to walk here safely, to continue to grow and thrive. For that Nave fought and for that he fell. The day we were forced to bury you is the longest day of the year — the day the sun stands still and salutes you.”
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Nave did not fall in vain, but so that we may continue to walk here safely, to continue to grow and thrive
(Photo: Courtesy of the family)
“There is a divine spark in you. My beloved son Nave, hero of Israel. All my life I navigate, read maps, but now I feel my compass is lost. I no longer know how to continue without your smile, without knowing you will walk through the door any moment. Please, my Nave, light our way. Thank you for the privilege of being your father, thank you for the light you brought into our lives. We will continue to carry you on every path and every step, to remember you and speak of you.”
His sister Noam said in her eulogy that in her worst nightmares she never imagined soldiers would stand at the entrance to the house and that she would have to eulogize her brother. “I don’t connect to all the clichés. Cry and be sad — we lost the purest person in the world, the most genuine soul, a 20-year-old boy who didn’t get to experience anything. I don’t want to live in a world without you, you are my pride, the glue of the house. Watch over Dad, Mom and Nasia, and I swear I will tell our little sister everything about you when she grows up. It is hard for me to see the light now, help me. Thank you for the privilege of being your little sister.”
His grandfather Yehuda eulogized him painfully: “Naveh, our dear grandson, we cannot grasp the loss. What kind of world are we living in where a grandfather buries his grandson and not the other way around? Since your enlistment in the armored corps I feared such a reality. Since the war began the family has been part of the war effort, and we thought death had moved away from us. But apparently God wanted to share us in sacrifice. I pray that you come to me in a dream and tell me you are well.”
Bini Baskin, a friend of Nave, said in his eulogy: “Nave, my beloved brother, you were the glue between us, always caring and always thinking about all of us. When I was stuck in the south you said ‘I’m coming,’ at night, in heat, in rain — always ‘I’m coming.’ Dropping everything to help your friends.”
He added that “Nave was a person full of goodness, a person of pure heart. It is impossible to sum you up in words. You always had real joy. Nave loved what he did, even if it wasn’t glamorous. Always with a smile, always doing everything wholeheartedly. A true friend who thinks of everyone, and even his eyes smile. You always did good, you knew how to lead. When you finished your commanders’ course I told you you were perfect for the role. You loved your father, mother and sisters, you always cared for them. Dear and beloved brother, watch over us from above.”
'Niro' was about to be discharged and had planned a trip to Thailand
The funeral of Maglan commando fighter Nir “Niro” Ben Ari took place at 4:00 p.m., with thousands accompanying him to the cemetery in Kerem Maharal, the community where he grew up in the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council. His many friends from the Maglan unit left the fighting in Lebanon early in the morning to pay their last respects to their friend, who was due to be discharged next week. He was also due to celebrate his 22nd birthday and already had a plane ticket for a post-army trip to Thailand with friends.
“Nir was a huge soul with a huge heart, he stood out and excelled in everything he did,” one of his friends said. Some left trips abroad to attend the funeral, while others were on their way back to Israel following the disaster. “He loved his friends in the unit very much, he was an incredible fighter. He enlisted shortly before October 7,” he added. “Since then he never stopped fighting everywhere — Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. He loved his family most of all, and the team was everything to him.”
After his death, family friend Meni Baruch described their last meeting, just one day before Nir was killed. “He was here in the settlement, laughing as usual. His family tried to convince him not to go back north, that he was about to be discharged. But in the afternoon he said goodbye to them, and his father Yaron drove him to the meeting point, from where he went north. In the late evening hours he entered Lebanon, where they came under heavy fire and drones — and Nir was killed along with other soldiers who were wounded,” he said.
Yoav was a talented basketball player: 'A whole future ahead of him'
At 11:00 a.m., Yoav Klein, who was killed in the tank disaster alongside his friends Liav and Nave, was laid to rest. Yoav, a graduate of Hayovel High School in Herzliya, was a talented and beloved basketball player. He is survived by his parents Einat and Eran and two siblings, Ido and Tamar. His funeral was closed to the media.
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'We will remember Yoav, his smile, his path and his immense sacrifice'
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Mayor Yair Fischer eulogized him: “With deep sorrow and great pain, we were informed of his fall. Just three years ago he was still a student at school. A young man with a whole future ahead of him, a talented and beloved basketball player, who grew up in our city and chose to go out and defend the country and all of us. There are no words that can comfort such a loss and no greater pain than parents having to part from their son. Herzliya bows its head today. We will remember Yoav, his smile, his path and his immense sacrifice. May his memory be blessed.”
Alexander’s wife broke down and cried: 'A wonderful father, we wanted more children'
At 12:00, hundreds accompanied Alexander Filin, a fighter in the 36th Division headquarters, on his final journey at the military cemetery in Haifa. Filin came to Israel alone from Ukraine about 14 years ago as part of the Naale program, studied at the Aloni Yitzhak boarding school and later moved to Ra’anana. During his regular service he served as a sniper in the Nahal Brigade. In 2018 he was awarded a presidential commendation, and two years earlier he had neutralized a terrorist in an attack.
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'The anchor of my life and a wonderful father to our little Emily'
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The incident in which Filin fell occurred around 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The force, part of the deputy division commander’s command post in Division 36, was operating on foot in the area of the Litani River. An initial IDF investigation indicates that it was likely an enemy explosive device, while other details of the incident are still under review.
His wife, Dasha, broke down in tears at the funeral and said: “You were the anchor of my life and a wonderful father to our little Emily. Just on Wednesday you said goodbye to her, and a few hours later you were killed. I waited eight years for a flight to Russia, and when I finally arrived — after two days the terrible tragedy happened. I told him maybe I should cancel the trip, and here I am burying him. We built a family, he always had a golden heart and a smile, and he was an anchor in a stormy sea who knew how to calm me and say there is a solution to everything. He was an amazing partner and a father who dreamed of opening his own restaurant. Because of him I am a wonderful mother, and I will miss the laughter and the endless love he gave me and our little girl. We planned to have more children. We will always remember him and I will tell Emily he was a hero.”