Staff Sergeant Amit Cohen, a 19-year-old IDF soldier from Holon, was killed in an operational accident in Khan Younis on Monday, hours after his commander praised his bravery.
His grandmother, Ruthy Hazai, told Ynet that at 6 a.m. Monday, Amit’s commander messaged his mother, Maya, calling him “a golden boy” and one of the platoon’s top soldiers, thanking the parents for their support in a critical mission. “It’s impossible to process,” Maya said.
Cohen, serving in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, died in an explosion likely caused by mishandled ordnance, in which an officer was also seriously wounded and evacuated to a hospital. He is the 894th IDF soldier killed since the war began on October 7, 2023.
Cohen fought to join the Golani Brigade, rejecting an initial Armored Corps assignment. “He was determined, saying, ‘If I don’t do it, who will? This is our country, our family,’” Hazai recalled. Despite losing his classmate, Staff Sergeant Danilo Mocanu, in a building collapse in Khan Younis in May, Cohen remained committed.
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“I begged him to leave Gaza; his mother was a wreck, barely sleeping,” Hazai said. “He refused to take even a day off, saying he couldn’t abandon his team.” A talented photography student in high school and a dedicated Scouts instructor, Cohen was meticulous, once spending thousands of shekels on supplies for his unit. "He was so handsome. He starred in a diaper commercial when he was a baby," she added.
Maya recounted her dread when hearing of an “incident in Gaza” at 4 p.m. Monday. Unable to reach Cohen’s commanders, she sat at home, struggling to breathe, until a knock at the door revealed two soldiers and a civilian.
“I hoped it was a mistake,” she said tearfully. Cohen enlisted six weeks after October 7, insisting on Golani despite heavy losses that day. “I moved mountains to get him there,” Maya said.
“He warned, ‘If everyone thinks like you, what happened on October 7 will reach Holon,’” she added.
A week and a half ago, he spent a cherished weekend with family, uneasy about leaving his comrades.
Cohen’s girlfriend, Lia Ben Baruch, a squad commander in an IDF training course, shared that he sent her flowers from Gaza with a dedication before his death, unable to see her receive them. “He was the kindest soul with a heart of gold,” she said.
They met three years ago in the Scouts. When she urged him to write a farewell letter, he refused, believing it invited misfortune. Maya attended Mocanu’s funeral alone, as Cohen was in Gaza, sending him a photo to honor his friend. “He was so proud we went,” she said. “He called Danilo a real mensch.”
Cohen is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister.
First published: 14:27, 07.22.25